This recipe guides you through making a deeply flavorful Sichuan Hot Pot with a rich bone broth and a spicy, aromatic soup base. The broth simmers for hours, while the soup base is created from a blend of dried chilies, fermented black beans, and a medley of Sichuan spices, fried in beef tallow and then solidified for later use. Once both components are ready, they combine to create an authentic hot pot experience.
Broth:
1. Add beef and pork bones to a pot, cover with water, and boil for 20 minutes to get rid of the scum.
2. Thoroughly rinse the bones under cold water and add it back to the pot along with the aromatics (ginger, scallions, garlic, dried shiitake mushrooms) and shaoxing wine.
3. Cover with water and simmer for 8 hours making sure to skim off any scum.
4. Strain and season with salt to taste.
Soup Base:
1. Cut dried chillies into thirds and shake them to get rid of the seeds. Cover the chillies in boiling hot water for 30 minutes then drain them and blend it into a paste.
2. Rinse fermented black beans in water, drain, and mash the beans in a mortar and pestle until it turns into a paste.
3. Combine all of the spices (star anise, cinnamon stick, cloves, black cardamom pod, red sichuan peppercorns, green sichuan peppercorns, fennel seed, coriander seed, bay leaves).
4. Heat beef tallow in a pot on medium low heat and fry scallions (white portion), shallots, ginger, and garlic until browned (about 10 minutes).
5. Remove the browned aromatics and add the blended chillies and combined spices. Let that simmer for 15 minutes, making sure the spices do not burn.
6. Add doubanjang, the mashed fermented black beans, salt, rock sugar, MSG, and shaoxing wine. Let simmer for 5-7 minutes until sugar is dissolved.
7. Pour into a tray and solidify in the fridge overnight.
8. When you want to make the hot pot, cut 1/4 of the solid soup base and pour the broth on top. Add your choice of veggies, toppings and meat and enjoy with your favorite dipping sauce.
