Hot pot etiquette for first-timers

Hot pot is participatory cooking. A bubbling pot of broth comes to the table; you order plates of raw ingredients; you cook them yourself, piece by piece, in the broth. Here is how to do it.

Choose the broth first

This is the major decision. Three categories: - **Mala** (麻辣, hot-and-numbing) — Sichuan or Chongqing style. Chilli oil floats on top, Sichuan peppercorns scattered through. - **Clear** (清汤, qīng tāng) — chicken or mushroom broth, mild. - **Yuanyang** (鸳鸯, 'mandarin duck') — divided pot, half mala and half clear. The standard for a mixed group.

Always order yuanyang for first-timers in a group. Solo or with experienced eaters, full mala.

Order ingredients

Three categories to balance: - **Meat** — thinly-sliced beef (top sirloin, brisket), lamb, pork belly, sometimes pork meatballs or beef balls. - **Vegetables and tofu** — lotus root, mushroom (enoki, oyster, wood ear), bok choy, watercress, frozen tofu, tofu skin. - **Starches** — rice cakes, sweet-potato vermicelli, hand-pulled noodles. Save for the end.

For two people, order around 6–8 plates. Top up if hungry.

Make your dipping sauce

The sauce bar is at the side. Standard combinations: - **Sichuan style**: sesame oil, garlic, chopped scallion, chopped coriander. - **Beijing northern style**: sesame paste, fermented tofu, chive flower, sugar, oil. - **Light/southern**: soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, chilli oil.

Mix to taste. Most restaurants offer 8–15 ingredients.

How to cook

Wait for the broth to boil. Drop in: - **Meat slices** — 10–20 seconds. They cook fast; over-cooking is the most common mistake. - **Tofu and vegetables** — 1–2 minutes. - **Mushrooms** — 1–3 minutes depending on type. - **Rice cakes and noodles** — 3–5 minutes; save for the end of the meal.

Use the chopsticks provided for raw food (often colour-coded) separately from the chopsticks for eating.

What to drink

• Tsingtao or Yanjing beer — universal. Cold beer cuts through the oil.
• Sour plum juice (酸梅汤) — non-alcoholic, cools the palate.
• Cucumber slices in syrup — surprisingly common cooler.
• Avoid water; it makes the chilli burn worse.

The order of operations

1. Order broth. 2. Order ingredients. 3. Make sauce while broth heats. 4. Once boiling, start with meat (you want clean broth on the meat, before vegetables release water). 5. Add vegetables and tofu. 6. End with starches. 7. Eat the broth as soup at the end (clear side only — mala broth is too oily).

Mistakes to avoid

• Ordering everything at once and overwhelming the table.
• Cooking the meat too long.
• Drinking water for the chilli — drink beer or tea instead.
• Forgetting the starch at the end. The end-of-meal noodles are best.

Cost

Two people at a mid-range Sichuan hot pot: ¥150–¥300. Premium hot pot (Haidilao, Liuyishou): ¥250–¥500. Budget chains: ¥100–¥150.