Chinese hotpot is one of the most popular meals in China and it has a long history of over 1,000 years in China. Now, there are around 350,000 hotpot restaurants in China, You can easily find a hotpot restaurant near you if you want to eat it. We put a simmering metal pot at the center of a table, there are two types of soup base: spicy and clear. And all raw ingredients placed beside the metal pot, so people can add and cook whatever they like in the hotpot soup. In China, hotpot is a great way to socialize. People gather around the pot, chatting, eating, drinking, and having fun.

When you hard to find a hotpot restaurant near you. Open this instruction, i will show you how to make a traditional Chinese hot pot at home.

If you never eat hotpot before and want to learn more about it, i got two links for you:

1. What is Chinese Hotpot: https://www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/what-is-hot-p...

2. How To Eat Hot Pot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGZ4RfNtTMQ&t=44s

Step 1: Prepare Ingredients

If we want to make traditional Chinese hotpot, we have to go Asian markets to collect our ingredients. I believe you can find them in the city that you live. If you are in Michigan, I highly recommend you go to 168 Asian Market in Madison Heights. It's the largest Asian Market in Michigan and you can find every ingredients that we need in there.

Meat Ingredients

Cow Stomach (500g)
Sliced Beef (1000g)Luncheon Meat
Sliced Mutton (1000g)
Pork Tenderloin (500g)
Luncheon Meat (200g)
Chicken Wing (500g)
Boneless Fish Slices (300g)
Fish Balls (300g)
Crab Sticks (400g)
Shrimp Meatballs (500g)
Quail Eggs (200g)

Vegetable Ingredients

Bean Curd Skin (300g)
Shitake Mushrooms (300g)
Needle Mushrooms (300g)
Kelp (200g)
Lotus Root Slices (150g)
Oriental Giant Radish Slices (200g)
Garlic (30g)
Onion (50g)
Sichuan Pepper (20g)

Sauces Ingredients

Wang Zhihe Pure Sesame Paste ( 100ml)
Chili oil (30ml)
Wang Zhihe Fermented Tofu (3 Pieces)
Wang Zhihe Leeks Flower sause (20ml)
Water (200ml)
Salt (2ml)
Mushroom Flavor Hot Pot Seasoning / Spicy Flavor Hot Pot Seasoning (2 bags)

Other Ingredients

Magnetic heating plate or gas burner
A pot
Bowls
Chopsticks
Beer

Step 2: Prepare the Soup Base

First, we put pot on the gas burner.

After 3 mins, when pot is complete dry, we add 20ml vegetable oil into pot.

About 2 mins, when you see some white smoke rise from the pot.

Starting add 2 bags Mushroom Flavor Hot Pot Seasoning or Spicy Flavor Hot Pot Seasoning, 50g sliced onion,30g sliced garlic and 30g Sichuan Pepper into pot and stir constantly for 2 mins.

Then, add warm water over three quarters of the pot.

Keep the pot on the gas burner until soup base boiling

Step 3: Prepare Your Hot Pot Sauce

First, take a empty bowl and a pair of chopsticks.

Put 100ml Wang Zhihe Pure Sesame Paste into an empty bowl.

Adding 30ml warm water( 36-37 degree) to the sesame paste bowl

Using chopsticks stirring constantly (With clockwise or Counterclockwise) , when you see sesame paste is become dry and hard to stir. Adding another 30ml warm water into bowl and keep stirring.

You may repeat last step 3-4 times

Stop stir when sesame paste completely soluble in water and looks like very smooth

(Tips: Stirring pure sesame paste usually takes 10 mins until its done)

Then you can add 30 ml chili oil, 3 pieces Wang Zhihe Fermented Tofu, 20ml Wang Zhihe Leeks Flower sauce and 2ml salt into your sesame sauce.

Keep stirring until Wang Zhihe Fermented Tofu and other sauces perfectly mix with sesame paste

Now, we have hot pot sauce done!

You can spoon sauce into several empty bowls depends on how many people you have

Step 4: Enjoy Your Hot Pot

When you get your sauce done, the hot pot is boiling

You can add ingredients to the pot, and remember put in meat, fish or shrimp balls first. Because they need longer time to cook.

Cow stomach only need to boil 15s, it will have a bad taste if you cook it too long.

When food look done, put them into your own sauce bowl and make sure they have some time to cool down and dip in sauce

Don't forget your cold beverage and beer. They can help you cool down the temperature and spicy in your mouth.

Remember keep some boiling water on the table, because hot pot is a long time meal. Usually after 1 or 1.5 hour, you need add more boiling water to the pot to ensure you have enough soup base to boil more food.

That's all!

Bookmark my instructable and try this on your own on weekend!

Enjoy this with your family and friends !