Chongqing hot pot base is mainly characterized by its numbing and spicy flavor. It features a complex blend of tastes, emphasizes seasoning, excels in variety, focuses on the broth, and values natural ingredients. The knife work is exquisite and flexible, a wide range of ingredients is selected, creating a unique style. It combines drinking and dining, allowing for complete freedom of choice, leaving a lasting impression. Below, the editor will introduce you to how hot pot base is made.
I. Frying the Hot Pot Base
Ingredients: 300g rapeseed oil, 100g beef tallow, 100g Pixian Doubanjiang (broad bean chili paste), 100g dried chili peppers, 20g ginger, 30g garlic, 40g green onions, 20g rock sugar, 50g fermented glutinous rice juice, 10g star anise, 5g Sichuan pepper, 5g cinnamon, 5g fennel seeds, 3g cardamom, 3g gromwell root, 1g bay leaf, 1g vanilla, 1g cloves.
Method:
1. First, heat the rapeseed oil until it is refined. Cut the beef tallow into small pieces. Mince the Pixian Doubanjiang. Boil the dried chili peppers in boiling water for about 2 minutes, then remove and grind them into a paste, which is called "Ciba chili". Crush the ginger. Peel and separate the garlic cloves. Tie the green onions into knots. Break the rock sugar into small pieces. Break the star anise, Sichuan pepper, and cinnamon into small pieces. Crush the cardamom.
2. Place a wok over medium heat. Scorch the wok, then pour in the heated rapeseed oil. Add the beef tallow and melt it. Add the ginger, garlic cloves, and green onion knots to fragrance, then add the Pixian Doubanjiang and Ciba chili. Reduce the heat to low and stir-fry slowly for about 1-1.5 hours, until the moisture from the Doubanjiang has cooked off, the aroma is rich, and the chilies have turned slightly pale. Remove and discard the green onion knots from the wok.
3. Immediately add the star anise, Sichuan pepper, cinnamon, fennel seeds, cardamom, gromwell root, bay leaf, vanilla, and cloves. Continue to stir-fry over low heat for about 15-20 minutes, until the color of the spices has deepened. Then, add the rock sugar and fermented glutinous rice juice. Simmer over low heat until all the moisture from the fermented glutinous rice has completely evaporated. Remove the wok from the heat, cover it, and let the ingredients cool down. This is the hot pot base.
II. Preparing the Hot Pot Broth
Ingredients: 300g pork leg bones, 300g beef leg bones, 100g chicken feet bones, 10g ginger, 30g green onions, 20g cooking wine, 30g chicken powder, 15g MSG.
Method:
1. Wash the pork leg bones and beef leg bones, then crack them. Wash the chicken feet bones. Crush the ginger. Tie the green onions into knots.
2. First, blanch the pork leg bones, beef leg bones, and chicken feet bones in boiling water, then remove them and place them in a pot of fresh water. Add the ginger, green onions, and cooking wine. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat and simmer until the broth turns milky-white. Skim off and discard the solids, and you have a fresh broth.
3. Next, season with chicken powder and MSG. Separately, add dried chili peppers and Sichuan pepper to a wok with rapeseed oil and stir-fry until fragrant. Then, divide this mixture among 5 hot pots (150g of dried chili peppers and 25g of Sichuan pepper per pot). Now, the hot pots can be brought to the table. After boiling for a few minutes, you can start cooking various ingredients.