![]() ![]() Chongqing, ChinaĬhongqing, the most populated Chinese city, once the biggest city in Sichuan Province but now a province-level municipality in the same league with Beijing and Shanghai, is the home of mala hotpot, and it’s known fact that Sichuan mala hotpot might be more well-known outside of China, but it is based on Chongqing mala hotpot.Īnd the hotpot dinner was an eye-opening experience, and it’s true, a true mala hotpot could get addictive. It is all about the recipe of Liuyishou’s traditional hotpot soup. However, the authentic Chongqing style hotpot took it to the next level. It was a good dinner and I found myself actually enjoying the mala hotpot. And he showed me the proper way to eat my way through the whole hotpot feast at Liuyishou’s Burnaby location.īefore he invited me to Liuyishou, I decided to warm up my senses to spicy hotpot at Little Sheep Mongolian Hotpot. Thanks to Jacob, a friend that I met through Chopstick Festival in 2016, a foodie grew up in Beijing and a brilliant media producer, who has done projects for Liuyishou Chongqing Hotpot, I was introduced to the most authentic Chongqing style mala hotpot. It wasn’t pretty when a burning sensation is stuck in my stomach for at least a couple hours. Having tried Sichuan food a few times, although I could experience the sensory pleasures of aromatic spicy food, my body didn’t seem to agree with it. And my dipping sauce is mixed with shacha (a Chiuchow or Fujian style BBQ sauce made with soy, dried shrimp, and mild spices), soy sauce, chili, and a little bit of sesame oil. I made my own broth using chicken stock and the Cantonese trinity of cooking: ginger, garlic, and scallion. But growing up as Cantonese, the hotpot broth that I’m used are subtle in flavour because we believe in tasting the fresh ingredients. ![]() I love hotpot myself, and my hotpot dinner party is legendary among my friends. This how Anthony Boudain describes it (2:48).īut for myself, I used to hold a reservation towards all this mala hotpot madness. Oh man, is this like describing sex or what? Yes, a total domination of food trends in China, mala hotpot is the new food porn. “Yes, it’s very spicy but apparently, if you have passed that tolerance threshold, you would want more of it. “mala” in Chinese, means spiciness (“la”) and numbing sensation(“ma”), thanks to the 2 main ingredients: red hot chili pepper and Sichuan peppercorn. I have heard the same comments from many Chinese celebrities in media on how much they love mala hotpot. I have been aware of how insanely popular mala hotpot is among Chinese folks. The common ones include the Cantonese hotpot with fresh seafood, the Beijiing hot pot with lamb cooked in a copper pot, the Chiuchow style beef-only hotpot, and notoriously, the Sichuan/Chongqing mala hotpot. Hotpot consists of 3 main elements: hotpot broth, food ingredients, and dipping sauce, which are the keys to tell the different styles of hotpot in different regions. And it’s for all generations, and more popular among the Millennials and even the Generation Z in China. But more significantly, hotpot, served at home or at restaurants, is the perfect way for social gathering, for family, friends, teammates, co-workers, and even business meeting. It’s the simplicity and the interactive nature which make it so likable. The hotpot ingredients may vary from region to region, but the concept is the same – simmering food in a pot of delicious broth, and giving the food a blast of flavour while cooking food to the perfect temperature. To date, hotpot restaurants account for 22% of all the transactions on Dianping.įirst of all, it’s not bound to any particular Chinese regional cuisine. And the answer is hotpot!Īccording to Dianping, China’s version of Yelp and Groupon combined, as of 2016, there were over 320,000 hotpot restaurants in China, a number way exceeding any other Chinese and world cuisines in the country. ![]() China continues to grow as the formidable economic giant, and it’s wicked to think about what the most popular dish is in the most populated country on this planet.
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