Hotpot restaurants offer some of the most authentic and tasty food in China so don’t let the steamed windows, sizzling peppers, and chili oil scary you away. The secret to a great hotpot meal is knowing how to order. Below is your hotpot primer so that you and the rest of your group can experience some dazzling local flavors.

The central aspect of any hot pot meal is of course the hot pot itself. There are 4 standard choices for types of broth: hot and spicy (popular in SiChuan – always available in varying degrees of spicy), not hot and not spicy (popular in southern China – usually a meat or fish based broth), split pot (you may choose two different broths), and clear water (the traditional Beijing style). Restaurants generally specialize so if you have a dying need for a particular type be sure to ask what type of broths they serve before ordering. Once you have settled on a broth you will need to choose a dipping sauce. The sauce has two functions: add flavor and cool down the food. Remember that you are taking food directly from boiling water! The two most common dipping sauces are sesame paste and fragrant oil.

Once you have chosen a broth and sauce the foundation of the meal is set. You can now order your food. Ordering hot pot requires the specific names of the meats and veggies so the dishes you may have memorized like Kungpao Chicken won’t be of any help. I have included a short list of the standard foods below. Use this primer along with help from your server to create you meal. One of the reasons people like hotpot so much is because it allows you to order a wide range of food. So with that in mind, go for it!

Especially if you are eating the hot and spicy style I suggest ordering some dry noodles or grain cakes. They compliment the hotpot very well and will help you endure the hot oils. Rice is a good option as well as roasted grain cakes 烧饼 shao bing. (they taste a lot better than they sound, trust me.)

With the above information you are ready to explore the abundant realm of Chinese hot pot.

Happy Eating!
The Lune Travel Team

A few hotpot facts to impress your friends:

1. It is said that hot pot originated in Mongolia with the steaming feasts of the nomads.
2. Around 1500 years ago in the Tang dynasty the hotpot dinner style enters China.
3. Eating spicy food causes people to sweat and therefore become dryer. This is why the spicy version of hotpot is most popular in the humid areas of central China.

Download a printable non-hotpot menu in PDF format that you may take to restaurants.