Qiuck Sichuan Spicy Hot Pot 簡易麻辣火鍋
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This is Part IV of the Hot Pot Series. Here are the other posts in this series:
Part I – Introduction to Chinese Hot Pot
Part II – Sichuan Spicy Hot Pot
Part III – Clear Soup Hot Pot
This is one of the coldest winters I can remember since I moved to New York. As snow and low temperature continues through the weekend and much of next week, I have been combating the cold weather with some sizzling spicy hot pot (aka Chinese fondue)!
If you are have never had this popular Chinese communal style dish before, stop everything you are doing now and check out my posts from the hot pot series to understand how it works. It’s a real big deal in Chinese dining culture!
Hot pot is prepared differently from region to region. Being from Chongqing and Sichuan (Szechuan) area, my choice of hot pot is obviously the Sichuan fiery broth!
For the readers who have attempted my Sichuan spicy hot pot recipe, you know making the broth from scratch is not for the faint of heart. The truth is, people in China don’t generally cook spicy hot pot from scratch. They either eat out in hot pot restaurants (which are everywhere) or make the broth using pre-package seasonings which make cooking hot pot hassle-free!
As I mentioned in my previous Chinese bacon post, the generous owner of Sino-American Quality Food (SAQF) has sent me a box full of different sample seasoning produced by ZHOU JUN JI (周君记), a well-known spice and condiment manufacturer from my hometown Chongqing, China.
Today, I will be sharing how the ZHOU JUN JI hot pot seasoning can help you enjoy Sichuan spicy hot pot with minimum amount of work.
The ZHOU JUN JI hot pot seasoning is packed in a package with both Chinese and English descriptions. Once you open the package, there is another thick vacuum-sealed bag keeping the actual seasoning tightly sealed.
Turn to the back of the package, you’ll find the English instructions on how to use this product. The instruction does sound a little non-native but basically all you have to do is to boil this seasoning with water and you are ready to serve. I don’t’ think cooking hot pot can get any easier than this!
Before we move onto the recipe, I would like to share my personal thoughts on the Hot Pot seasoning.
Disclaimer: The review below represents the opinion of Yi Reservation based on personal use and results. I do not receive any monetary compensation other than the free sample.
First of all, I can’t stress on how much easier it is to prepare hot pot with the seasoning. The traditional recipes require a plethora of spices which a lot of us just don’t have readily available. Not to mention that it takes about 30 – 45 minutes to turn all the spices and ingredients into something similar to the packaged seasoning.
Once the broth starts to boil, I immediately smell the great aromas from the use of spice mix and fresh Sichuan peppercorn (hua jiao). The smell might be strong and penetrating to first timers but it certainly brings back all my fond memories in Chongqing. I am already sold even before tasting the broth.
Let’s talk about the taste. I absolute love the flavorful of ZHOU JUN JI Hot Pot seasoning. And I am not saying this because I was given the free sample!
The broth is more than just being spicy. The use of spices creates some very complex flavors that really enhance the food you cook in. The use of fresh Sichuan peppercorn instead of dried Sichaun peppercorn is a great touch as the fresh variety has a much stronger taste. Additionally, there is a hint of fresh chili flavor which brings a refreshing taste to this fiery broth.
In conclusion, I am really impressed by ZHOU JUN JI Hot Pot seasoning. Not only it’s easy to use but it really tastes great. If you love spicy Sichuan hot pot but are intimidated by the effort it takes to cook from scratch, you should definitely check out this seasoning. Visit Sino-American Quality Food (SAQF) for more details on this product.
Now, let me show you how to get the most flavor out of this seasoning. Although you can just add the seasoning to boiling water, I strongly suggest you take the extra steps in this recipe to maximize the potential of this wonderful product. The little extra work is well worth it!
Qiuck Sichuan Spicy Hot Pot 簡易麻辣火鍋
Yield: 2-4 servings
Prep Time: 5
Cook Time: 10
Total Time: 15
Ingredients:
- 1 pkg Hot Pot seasoning
- beef stock
- 2 slice ginger (optional)
- 3 clove garlic (optional)
- Additional dry chili and Sichuan peppercorn to your taste
Directions:
- Heat up 1 tbsp of oil in a cooking pot. Add a bag of hot pot seasoning and cook over low heat for about 3 minutes or until aromatic. Stir occasionally. Feel free add additional ingredients to fit your palate. I normally add a few slices of free ginger, garlic, additional chili pepper, and Sichuan peppercorn
- Transfer the cooked seasoning to the pot you’ll be serving hot pot with. I use a special divided pot to serve half red broth (spicy) and half white broth (clear)
- Add beef stock to the seasoning until the broth level is 1.5 inch from the rim. If using a divided pot, check out this recipe for the clear hot pot broth
- Bring the broth to boil on a portable stove and cook with various meats and vegetables of your choice
For readers who live in the northeast of the United States. How are you coping with this cold weather?
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Hello, I’m from Germany and I ate hot pot in a restaurant near me. That was a great taste experience. Since then, I also want to introduce my family to Hot Pot. I bought a spice wrap from Sanwu before I found it. Unfortunately, the English is not very helpful here either. Even with the translation of the Chinese text brings me no further. The package content is 300g and they write something from 2-3 kg of water. Can I assume that otherwise the preparation is exactly as described on their page?
hi Sandra, so sorry for the late reply. With the spice packet you can just combine the spice with water as described in the instruction. If you have some time, I’d just heat up the spice packet in a pot, let the oil bubble over low heat for a few minutes, then add water. The first step helps bring out the flavor better. Hope this helps.
What type of oil did you use to cook the spice packet in? Does olive oil work?
hi Rory, i typically use corn oil or canola oil. Hope this helps.
I never did taste hot-pot dish but I want to do. I’m little bit confused which animal butter they do use while making hotpot seasoning? My all chinese friend say must eat this meal, you will like it. The dish looks delicious, mouth watering.
I often use spicy hot pot packages if I don’t have time to make from scratch. They tend to be high in sodium. I am often confused by the measurements however, your Zhou Jin ji says 5-6 times water. How does that translate into cups or quarts ?
Hi William, thanks for checking out my blog. The package weights 200g so 5-6 times means 1kg-1.2kg which translates to 1-1.2 liter of water which in terms means 4.2-5 cups. However, normally I would start with a few cups of water and make small adjustments until I get the right flavor. I hope this helps.
LOVE your website!!! I am really excited to try this “quickie” version. I am interested in finding a sauce version of this rather than a broth. Can I either omit or reduce the amount of broth or add a thickening agent without messing up the taste?
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your love of great authentic recipes. It is a labor of love and much appreciated!
Hey Kristen, thanks for visiting! I might be wrong but it seems that you are looking for is a braised dish rather than hot pot. What you can do is to reduce the liquid and also add some thickening agent (corn starch). I posted this braised beef recipe a long time ago and you might use it as a reference. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks.
BTW, one of our colleagues gave me some red fermented? Rice. Can you give me some suggestions on how to use it. Thanks.
Is it the sweet fermented rice? If so, there are many ways of using it. It is primarily used for sweet desserts. One classic use is to serve the sweet rice ball in fermented rice soup. In Sichuan it’s also frequently added to hot pot to bring out the sweetness.
Thanks Yi, the latin name is Monascus purpureus, on googling it I found out that it is actually called red yeast rice. I am making the hot pot tomorrow, I’ll add a few grains to the stock, as I don’t have any idea about the quantities. Thanks again.
Shapna
Ok I know what you are referring to now. If you have the dry form you can add to the hot pot, it mostly works as a natural food coloring agent. If you have the fermented version, it would add a nice sweetness to the hot pot broth. Please let me know how the ho tpot turned out!!
Hello Yi, thank you for sharing your recipes. My husband and I just returned from Shenzhen and had an awesome time trying out all the different regional food. I am really excited about trying out the hot pot recipe since I brought back some hua jiao. All the other spices I have at home because they are staples in Indian cooking. We will be going back for work often so am looking forward to bringing back a divided hotpot next trip. This time around I brought back two fermentation jars so that I can start fermenting some vegetables and also make kimchi. I wanted to take some sichuan cooking lessons but couldn’t find a cooking school in Shenzhen. So thank you thank you for sharing your recipes, they look like the real deal.
Best Regards,
Shapna
Hello Shapna, thanks for the kind words! I am so happy to hear that you’ll be making your own hot pot soon. With the good hua jia (from China) you have, the hot pot is going to taste so good!! Please let me know if you have any questions in cooking chinese food in general!!
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Love, Love, Love your hot pot. Where did you find the la de/ bu la de hot pot? I so need to find one with two separate sections for our family as my teenagers love the spicy and my husband and I like mild. I agree finding a good hot pot mix you like really makes preparing this dish so much easier. Can you believe it was down to 6 degrees Celsius in HK yesterday? Briskly cool even for Asia. Great post! Take Care, BAM
Hi Bam, I got it from a local Chinese supermarket here in NYC. Since you are in HK you should be able to easily find it in your local supply stores. Hope the weather gets better in HK 🙂
Wow, this spicy hot pot is just perfect for the cold weather…although is it not too cold here, since we will be in the 80’s…but the hot pot seasoning is welcome here in our home anytime of the year…
Have a great week Yi 😀
I am so jealous of the nice weather in CA! Glad to hear that you love hotpot as well!
We always have hot pot for celebrating CNY, especially for the night before CNY. Since Indonesia is a tropical country, we usually go for the clear broth version. But when I was in the States, I love having the spicy version in winter, so… good 🙂
Glad to hear that you enjoyed the spicy broth as well!
A spicy hot pot like this will tide us all through the very cold winter. Though the West Coast is not experiencing very cold winter like the East Coast, a warming hot pot is always welcomed during any winter.
I am hoping it gets warmer soon but my hot pot will always be boiling regardless the temperature outside 🙂
This is perfect for the chilly weather we are having. We could use all the heat we can get (spicy heat or temp heat). They look delicious Yi.
You are absolutely right Ray.
Sounds great, Yi. Sometimes you need something fast and this looks like it fits the bill! And spicy is so good!
Hi Abbe, glad to hear you are into spicy hot pot too!
Gorgeous hot pot! I don’t think I have ever seen this ready-to-use seasoning, but I can always try making from the scratch. I have been making chicken stock for many years and now practically every week since the beginning of cold days, so nothing scares me 🙂 Thank you for inspiration!
You are welcome Sissi. Chicken soup is such a great remedy for cold weather!
The winter has been brutal here, too. So I need dishes like this! Have to admit, I’ve never made hot pot — partially because it’s rather complicated. I love the idea of the seasoning package! And your recipe for how to use it. Terrific idea — I’ll be looking for that. Thanks.
Thanks John! Hope the weather gets better soon in your area!
I eat lots of soups to cope with the cold. Well, no one makes hot pot for me…
Your hot pot looks really delicious, Yi.