Jianyi Sichuan Huoguo (From-Scratch Streamlined Communal Red Pot)
简易四川火锅·(jiǎnyì sìchuān huǒguō)
Cangying Guanzi: The Weekend Fly Restaurant
It’s in the alleyways of Chongqing, sitting on a cheap plastic stool at a “fly restaurant” where luxury sedans park next to battered bicycles, that you find the real soul of Sichuan hot pot. This is working-class ingenuity boiled down to its furious, numbing essence—a fiercely red, fat-slicked broth designed to ward off the river damp. You don't need a commercial kitchen or two hours of pounding chilies to recreate it on a weeknight. With good beef tallow, a jar of funky Pixian Doubanjiang, and a handful of unapologetic aromatics, this streamlined red pot delivers the uncompromising, heavy-hitting comfort of the homeland straight to your dining table.
Before you start
Prepare the garlic-sesame dipping sauce.
Provide individual bowls with 3 tablespoons of pure toasted sesame oil mixed with a hefty spoonful of minced garlic, chopped cilantro, and scallions to protect the stomach from the aggressive chili heat.
Assemble the raw ingredients.
Arrange platters of classic hot pot dippers: sliced beef tripe, paper-thin fatty beef, thick rectangles of Spam, thinly sliced russet potatoes, and firm tofu.
Ingredients
- red Sichuan peppercorns2 tbsp
- green Sichuan peppercorns1 tbsp
- star anise3 whole
- cassia bark1 large piece
- fennel seeds1 tbsp
- Chinese black cardamom pods2 whole
- dried bay leaves4 whole
- whole cloves4 whole
- warm water2 tbsp
- Shaoxing wine3 tbsp
- beef tallow1 cup
- neutral oil1/2 cup
- dried Asian chilies1 1/2 cup
- Pixian Doubanjiang1/2 cup
- fermented black soybeans2 tbsp
- fresh ginger1 med
- garlic8 large cloves
- scallions4 med
- unsalted bone broth8 cup
- Laozao2 tbsp
- rock sugar1 tbsp
- MSG1 tbsp
Method
- 01
Grind and hydrate the dry spices.
Pulse the star anise, fennel seeds, and cloves in a spice grinder until coarsely ground, then mix in a small bowl with the whole spices, peppercorns, warm water, and 1 tablespoon of the Shaoxing wine to prevent them from burning later.
- 02
Infuse the cooking fats with aromatics.
Melt the beef tallow and neutral oil in a wide, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-low heat, then gently fry the ginger, garlic, and scallion whites for 5 to 7 minutes until golden before removing and discarding the solids.
- 03
Fry the pastes to develop the signature red oil.
Reduce the heat to low, add the minced Pixian Doubanjiang and fermented black beans, and stir continuously for 8 to 10 minutes until the moisture evaporates and the oil turns a deep, brilliant crimson.
- 04
Toast the chilies and the moistened spice blend.
Once the oil is fiercely red, stir in the dried chilies and the bowl of wet spices, cooking constantly for 2 to 3 minutes until the aroma is intensely fragrant and slightly choking.
- 05
Build the broth and simmer.
Carefully pour in the broth, bring to a rolling boil, and add the Laozao, remaining 2 tablespoons of Shaoxing wine, rock sugar, MSG, and scallion greens. Reduce to a simmer and let it steep for 15 to 20 minutes to marry the flavors.
- 06
Transfer to the table and eat.
Move the pot to a portable tabletop burner, keeping it at a steady simmer, and let everyone cook their own ingredients directly in the bubbling broth.
Notes
Do not skip the beef tallow or the MSG.
Tallow provides the essential 'Hou'—the luxurious richness that allows the broth to cling to the meat—while MSG effortlessly replicates the hours of bone-simmering done in traditional fly restaurants.
Embrace the mess.
Frying the Doubanjiang will cause the oil to sputter; wear an apron, use a deep pot, and enjoy the chaotic joy of making real hot pot at home.
From The Sichuan Home Kitchen.