food · 5 May 2026

Mongolian Hot Pot vs Sichuan Hot Pot: What the Difference Actually Is

Hot pot is not one thing in China. The Mongolian version uses a brass chimney pot with clear broth; the Sichuan version is a cauldron of numbing red oil. Here is how they differ and which to choose.

Mongolian hot pot (涮羊肉) uses a brass chimney pot with charcoal inside and clear bone or lamb stock around it. Thinly sliced lamb is swished (涮, shuàn) through the broth for seconds. The flavour comes from sesame paste (芝麻酱) thinned with fermented tofu liquid — nutty and slightly funky against clean lamb. Reference venue: Donglaishun in Beijing, founded 1903.

Sichuan hot pot uses a wide shallow pot of beef tallow red oil with dried chillis, Sichuan peppercorns (花椒), and broad bean paste. Everything cooked in it absorbs the mala (麻辣) flavour — the combination of spice heat and mouth-numbing tingling. Ingredients are much more varied: fatty beef, tripe, intestine, lotus root, tofu skin, mushrooms. Dipping sauce is simple (garlic, sesame oil) to contrast the intense base. Home cities are Chongqing (more aggressive) and Chengdu.

The split pot (鸳鸯锅) divides one side clear and one side mala for mixed-tolerance tables. Mongolian hot pot is about the ingredient; Sichuan hot pot is about the experience. Both take 1.5–2.5 hours.