Did the hotpot we told you about in our last post make your heart skip a beat, your mouth water, and your stomach rumble? Well, brace yourself, because we’re about to kick it up a notch as we round off our “10 Kinds of Chinese Hotpot” list with Part 2 today.
Sour (“suān tang”, literally “sour soup”) hotpot is the go-to in Southeast Guizhou. Most variants use fish in a sour broth as the base, eating the fish and drinking some of the soup first, and then cooking the vegetables in the thickened broth.
When people think of the tantalizing meal’s hot and sour flavor, their mouths immediately start watering.
Congee hotpot? It’s exactly what it sounds like. This southern Chinese specialty starts with a pot of flavorful congee (rice porridge) as the centerpiece, and in go a variety of seafood, vegetables, and meats to boil. This may be as close as hotpot gets to the American idea of “comfort food”.
In a congee hotpot the porridge is thick, and the rice is fragrant, though the milky broth hides the grains. When balls of pork, fish slices, fresh beef, and other ingredients go in, the porridge seals in the natural flavors – this is the legacy of the city of Shunde, the essence of their cuisine.
海鲜 (hǎi xiān): n. seafood
yǒu xiē rén duì hǎi xiān guò mǐn.
有 些 人 对 海 鲜 过 敏。
Some people are allergic to seafood.
páng xiè shì wǒ zuì xǐ huān de hǎi xiān .
螃 蟹 是 我 最 喜 欢 的 海 鲜。
Crab is my favorite kind of seafood.
Sure, Yunnan is famous for its rice noodles, but have you heard of the local mushroom hotpot?
This hotpot lives up to its name, with a mushroom broth as the base and featuring many kinds of fungi. The province of Yunnan is known for all kinds of delicious mushrooms native only to that part of the country, and this hotpot variety is a great opportunity for each of them to shine in their own unique, Yunnan way.
Pickled cabbage and pork hotpot is an indispensable winter staple in the three northeastern provinces (“dōng sān”) of China.
Pickled vegetables, particularly cabbage, has long been found in the diets of people in the northeast of China no matter the season, and its pairing with pork in this particular style of hotpot is no accident. The cabbage and sourness offset the greasiness of the pork, absorbing the oil, and letting those partaking in the meal enjoy the flavor of the meat and eat to their heart’s content without feeling overwhelmed by the rich flavors.
酸菜 (suān cài ): n. pickled cabbage; sauerkraut
wǒ hěn xǐ huān chī suān cài dùn ròu.
我 很 喜 欢 吃 酸 菜 炖 肉。
I like to eat pickled cabbage stewed with pork.
nǐ huì jiào dé suān cài hěn suān ma？
你 会 觉 得 酸 菜 很 酸 吗？
Do you find pickled cabbage sour?
In the Huizhou area, there is a very special delicacy called “yipin guo”.
From bottom to top the layered ingredients are dried bamboo shoots, meat, soft or fried tofu, and meatballs. On top of all of that sits a layer of small rice noodles, and seasoning and water are added and brought to a simmer, resulting in a fragrant, delicious, all-in-one hotpot meal!
How many of these 10 delicious hotpots have you tried? Tell us about any other incredible hotpots (or hotpot-like dishes) you’ve had in the comment section.
“10 Kinds of Chinese Hotpot, Which is Your Favorite? (Pt. 1)”
“Three Foods to Eat During the Double Ninth Festival”
”How Many These 8 Classic Spicy Chinese Dishes Have You Tried?”
