Chongqing Hotpot

The Heat Is On: Spice up your life with a Chongqing hotpot

Daniel Allen

Chongqing hotpot, China — Chongqing hotpot is made with spicy mala broth

Enveloped in dense clouds of steam, Chongqing native Vivian Wang hangs her head over a bowl of bubbling, chili-topped soup and inhales deeply.

"This is the smell I miss the most when I travel overseas," she says in thickly accented Mandarin. "When I don't get my daily huoguo (hotpot), my stomach feels miserable."

Hotpots are to Chongqing what Beijing duck is to the Chinese capital. In fact, for residents of southwest China's largest metropolis, this spice-laden dish is more than a cornerstone of local cuisine - it's a way of life.

According to the Chongqing Hotpot Association, more than 50,000 hotpot eateries supply Chongqingers with their regular spice fix.

Distinguishing Chongqing huoguo from other Chinese hotpots is its mala (numbingly spicy) broth, made from oil, dried chili, Sichuan pepper and local herbs. Diners cook assorted vegetables and meats in the boiling broth, before dipping them into a bowl of sesame oil, shallots and garlic and eating.

For Chongqing visitors with an aversion to spice, the Mandarin phrase "bu tai la" (not too spicy) is well worth memorizing.