Sichuan Hot Pot Broth Recipe
Sichuan hot pot, renowned for its unique flavors of numbing, spicy, fresh, and fragrant, has captured the attention of countless diners. Central to its aromatic essence is a crucial seasoning: beef tallow hot pot base. This ingredient adds a highly enticing savory and spicy taste to the hot pot, making every ingredient dipped into it delicious and appetizing.
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To make hot pot delicious, the broth base, dipping sauces, and ingredients play crucial roles. Crafting a great hot pot base recipe requires continuous experimentation and innovation to extend the range of flavors. Today, I'd like to share a Sichuan Hot Pot Broth recipe that I personally love.
1.What is Sichuan Hot Pot Broth?
Sichuan Hot Pot Broth is known for its spicy yet not overpowering flavor, as well as its aromatic and non-greasy qualities, possessing a unique charm and allure. The main ingredients of Sichuan Hot Pot Broth typically include beef tallow and a variety of spices such as Sichuan peppercorns. The addition of beef tallow enhances the richness and mellowness of the broth, giving it a hearty and robust flavor, while the Sichuan peppercorns impart the characteristic numbing and spicy taste that makes the broth irresistibly addictive.
2.Why choose this recipe?
It boasts a numbingly spicy flavor and produces a rich hot pot broth that rivals those found in restaurants outside.
After the broth cools down, it will form a thick paste-like substance, so you can portion it out and store it for future use.
To use the hot pot broth, simply dilute it with some broth and heat it up.
3.What ingredients are needed?
This recipe requires many ingredients, most of which are common in Chinese cuisine. I strongly recommend stocking up on extras for storage.
Beef tallow: It's crucial to choose plain white beef tallow, which is a key ingredient in Sichuan hot pot and adds a super delicious flavor.
Dried chili peppers: I chose three types—bullet head, facing heaven, and er jing tiao—to add color, spiciness, and aroma, offering different taste layers. If you're not tolerant to spiciness, you can omit the facing heaven peppers.
Sichuan peppercorns: Sichuan peppercorns are a key ingredient, crucially fresh for the best flavor. They impart a rich aroma and a numbing sensation that defines the dish.
Spices: I recommend buying whole spices rather than ground ones. After purchasing, you can blend and grind the spices yourself to maximize their flavor.
There are also other ingredients like rock sugar, fermented rice, which can be used to reduce spiciness and brighten the red oil. Fermented black beans and chili bean paste can bring out a salty umami flavor.
These ingredients are typically available at authentic Sichuan spice markets or can be purchased directly online for convenience.
4. How to Use Sichuan Hot Pot Base?
Whether you're using a refrigerated or frozen broth base, simply add it to your hot pot, and pour in some stock. I prefer beef bone broth, but you can also use plain water. Bring it to a boil until the hot pot base is fully dissolved. Then, add your favorite ingredients, like carrots, mushrooms, beef, etc. Once the food is cooked, it's ready to enjoy!
With these tips, I believe everyone can quickly make an authentic Sichuan Hot Pot Broth. You can also adjust the seasoning quantities and add different ingredients according to your taste preferences. Now, let's get started together!
INGREDIENTS
MAIN INGREDIENTS
- 5L plain beef tallow
ACCESSORIES
- 200g onions
- 100g cilantro (coriander)
- 100g ginger (old ginger)
- 80g garlic
- 100g scallions
- 500g shallots
SEASONINGS
- 100g bullet head chili peppers
- 150g facing heaven chili peppers
- 100g er jing tiao chili peppers
- 25g white cardamom
- 15g thyme
- 10g cloves
- 20g bay leaves
- 25g fennel seeds
- 25g cinnamon sticks
- 25g star anise
- 25g Sichuan peppercorns
- 20g lesser galangal
- 15g amomum fruit
- 25g Amomum tsao-ko
- 125g white wine
- 20g fermented rice
- 15g rock sugar
- 25g fermented black beans
- 600g chili bean paste
- 50g green Sichuan peppercorns
- 50g red Sichuan peppercorns
DIRECTIONS
STEP 1
Prepare all ingredients and have ready 100g of bullet head chili peppers, 150g of facing heaven chili peppers, and 100g of er jing tiao chili peppers.
Tip:
Bullet head chili peppers are darker in color, chosen for their appearance; facing heaven chili peppers are spicier, chosen for their flavor; er jing tiao chili peppers have a distinct aroma, chosen for their fragrance. Adjust according to personal taste preferences.
STEP 2
Rinse all the chili peppers thoroughly and soak them in hot water for at least four hours, changing the water to hot if it cools down during soaking.
STEP 3
After the dried chili peppers have softened from soaking, blend them in a food processor until finely chopped.
STEP 4
Take 25g white cardamom, 15g thyme, 10g cloves, 20g bay leaves, 25g fennel seeds, 25g cinnamon sticks, 25g star anise, 25g Sichuan peppercorns, 20g lesser galangal, 15g amomum fruit, and 25g Amomum tsao-ko. Combine all the spices, grind them into powder, and mix in 25g of high-proof white wine. Set aside.
Tip:
Grinding into powder and adding white wine help release the fragrance of the spices.
STEP 5
Prepare the seasoned vegetables: slice 100g of old ginger, chop 80g of garlic into small pieces, cut 100g of cilantro into segments, slice 200g of onions, diagonally cut 100g of scallions, and cut approximately 500g of shallots into segments. Set aside for later use.
STEP 6
Take 20g of fermented rice, 15g of rock sugar, 25g of fermented black beans, and 600g of chili bean paste. Soak 50g of green Sichuan peppercorns in 100g of white wine, and soak 50g of red Sichuan peppercorns in 150g of hot water. Arrange them on a plate for later use.
STEP 7
Take 5 liters of plain beef tallow and heat it in a pot until it melts and the oil temperature rises.
STEP 8
Add all the seasoned vegetables into the pot with the melted beef tallow. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and lightly browned. Remove and discard the vegetables once they are slightly caramelized.
STEP 9
Keep the heat at medium and add the blended chili peppers to the pot. Stir gently to evenly distribute them and loosen them up. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring gently and constantly to prevent sticking.
STEP 10
Next, add the ground spices to the pot and stir-fry over high heat for about 20 seconds to release their flavors. Immediately reduce the heat to the lowest setting and simmer gently for another 15 minutes, continuing to stir-fry to prevent sticking.
STEP 11
Then add the chili bean paste and fermented black beans. Stir-fry over high heat for about 30 seconds until the chili bean paste is fragrant and loosened. Reduce the heat to low again and simmer for another 10 minutes, stirring constantly throughout the process.
STEP 12
Add the rock sugar and fermented rice. Keep the heat low and simmer for 5 minutes.
STEP 13
Finally, strain the green Sichuan peppercorns from the wine and the red Sichuan peppercorns from the water. Add them to the pot and stir-fry for 5 minutes, then turn off the heat.
Tip:
After cooling down, cover the pot tightly to prevent condensation from dripping into the base. Let it sit for three days to allow the various seasonings to continue releasing their flavors.
Recipe analyzer
- Recipes: Sichuan Hot Pot Broth Recipe
- Main Ingredients:7
- Servings per recipe:1
- Servings size:5.8 kg
-
Energy (calories)：694 kcal
-
Protein：25.57 g
-
Fat：2.56 g
Why gray?
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Carbohydrates：157.91 g
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Protein: 10%70 kcal
-
Fat: 3%21 kcal
-
Carbohydrates: 87%603 kcal
The ratio shows whether the proportion of both fatty acids in your diet is optimal. Red color means too much of Omega 6 or too little of Omega 3. The data are rounded off and approximate.
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