Chinese Hot Pot Recipe (Authentic Spicy & Non-Spicy Broth) | Homemade Chinese Restaurant Quality
🔥 Authentic Chinese Recipe

Chinese Hot Pot Recipe
Authentic Spicy & Non-Spicy Broth

A communal feast featuring homemade chicken stock, a fiery Sichuan soup base, fresh vegetables, premium meats, and irresistible dipping sauces — all cooked right at the table.

⏱️ Prep: 45 min 🍳 Cook: 2 hrs 👥 Serves: 4–6 📊 Intermediate 🌶️ Spicy Option
🫕
🍲
🥬
🥩
🍜
Prep Time
45 min
Cook Time
2 hrs
Total Time
2 hr 45 min
Servings
4–6
Difficulty
Intermediate
Cuisine
Chinese

🍲 About This Recipe

Chinese Hot Pot (火锅, huǒ guō) is one of China’s most beloved communal dining experiences — a bubbling pot of fragrant broth set in the center of the table, where everyone gathers to cook fresh ingredients together. This recipe delivers an authentic, restaurant-quality experience at home, featuring a rich homemade chicken stock that forms the backbone of both a mild, comforting broth and a fiery Sichuan spicy base loaded with doubanjiang, dried chilies, and tingling Sichuan peppercorns.

Whether you’re hosting a dinner party or enjoying a cozy family meal on a cold night, hot pot brings people together like nothing else. Dip silky slices of wagyu beef, fresh vegetables, springy noodles, and pillowy dumplings into your choice of broth, then swirl them through homemade sesame and black vinegar dipping sauces. It’s interactive, endlessly customizable, and absolutely delicious.

🛒 Ingredients

🍗 Chicken Stock

  • 5 large chicken drumsticks
  • 5 large bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
  • 1 bunch green onions
  • 1 inch fresh ginger, sliced
  • 1 whole head garlic, cut in half
  • Water to cover

🌶️ Spicy Soup Base

  • 2 tbsp red Sichuan peppercorns
  • 2 tbsp green Sichuan peppercorns
  • 3 star anise
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 1½ cups beef fat
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 1 pint dried chili pods, seeded
  • 8 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 5 green onions, sliced
  • 3 inch fresh ginger, chopped
  • ½ cup doubanjiang (chili bean paste)
  • 3 tbsp fermented black bean paste
  • 5 bay leaves
  • 2 tbsp shiitake mushroom powder
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 3 tbsp Shaoxing wine

🫕 Mild Broth Side

  • 4 dried shiitake mushrooms
  • Pinch of white pepper
  • 3–4 Chinese jujube (red dates)
  • 2 inch fresh ginger, sliced
  • 4 green onions, cut
  • Salt to taste

🥬 Vegetables & Add-ins

  • 2 pounds mini bok choy
  • Trumpet mushrooms, sliced
  • Beech mushrooms, trimmed
  • Napa cabbage, cut into strips
  • Chinese noodles
  • Dumplings
  • Rice cakes

🥩 Meats

  • Shabu-shabu beef (thinly sliced)
  • Thinly sliced wagyu beef

👩‍🍳 Step-by-Step Instructions

🍗 Phase 1: Prepare the Chicken Stock
  1. 1
    Add the chicken to the pot

    Place the chicken drumsticks and bone-in thighs into a large stockpot in a single layer.

  2. 2
    Add aromatics

    Add the green onions, sliced ginger, and garlic head (cut in half, cut side down) to the pot.

  3. 3
    Cover with water

    Pour enough cold water to submerge all the ingredients by at least 2 inches.

  4. 4
    Simmer the stock

    Bring to a rolling boil, skim off any foam, then reduce heat and simmer gently for 1.5 to 2 hours until deeply flavored. Strain and set aside.

🌶️ Phase 2: Prepare the Spicy Soup Base
  1. 5
    Grind the spices

    Blend Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, and cinnamon sticks in a spice grinder until a coarse powder forms.

  2. 6
    Heat the fats

    In a large wok, melt the beef fat over medium heat and add the vegetable oil. Heat until shimmering.

  3. 7
    Fry the dried chilies

    Add the seeded dried chili pods and fry for 1–2 minutes until fragrant and darkened. Remove and blend into a rough paste.

  4. 8
    Cook the aromatics

    In the remaining oil, add the chopped garlic, sliced green onions, and ginger. Cook over medium heat until golden and very fragrant, about 3–4 minutes.

  5. 9
    Build the base

    Stir in the doubanjiang, fermented black bean paste, bay leaves, shiitake mushroom powder, and the ground spice mix. Cook for 3 minutes.

  6. 10
    Add blended chilies

    Fold in the blended chili paste and cook, stirring constantly, until the oil turns a deep, beautiful red — about 8–10 minutes.

  7. 11
    Finish and store

    Add sugar and Shaoxing wine, stir well. Blend until smooth if desired. Transfer to a container and refrigerate until solid (or use immediately).

🫕 Phase 3: Assemble the Hot Pot
  1. 12
    Fill both sides with stock

    Fill each side of a divided hot pot vessel with the prepared chicken stock. Place on the portable burner at the center of the table.

  2. 13
    Season the mild side

    Add shiitake mushrooms, white pepper, jujubes, ginger slices, and green onion pieces to the mild side. Season with salt.

  3. 14
    Activate the spicy side

    Drop a generous block of the chilled spicy soup base into the other side. Allow it to melt and bloom into the stock as the heat rises.

🍽️ Phase 4: Prepare & Serve
  1. 15
    Arrange the platters

    Beautifully arrange the bok choy, mushrooms, napa cabbage, noodles, dumplings, rice cakes, and sliced meats on serving plates around the hot pot.

  2. 16
    Bring to a simmer

    Turn on the burner and bring both broths to a gentle simmer. The hot pot is ready when bubbles break the surface.

  3. 17
    Cook and enjoy!

    Cook ingredients at the table — dip wagyu beef for just 15–20 seconds. Vegetables and noodles take 1–3 minutes. Serve with rice and your choice of dipping sauces.

🥣 Dipping Sauces

The dipping sauce is the soul of hot pot. Mix and match your own signature combination at the table!

🧄 Sesame Garlic Sauce

  • 3 tbsp sesame oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, grated
  • Flaky salt to taste

🍶 Classic Vinegar Soy

  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp Chinese black vinegar

🌶️ Chili Oil

  • Quality store-bought chili oil
  • Or homemade Sichuan chili oil
  • Serve as desired

💡 Mix & Match Tips

  • Combine sesame + soy for umami depth
  • Add chili oil for heat
  • Fresh cilantro & scallions optional

💡 Serving Tips

⏱️

Beef timing: Dip thinly sliced wagyu for only 15–20 seconds for perfect silkiness. Overcooking makes it tough.

🥢

Separate chopsticks: Use dedicated “cooking” chopsticks for the pot and separate “eating” chopsticks for hygiene.

🍚

Serve with rice: Steamed white rice is the perfect accompaniment to soak up the rich broths and sauces.

🧊

Cold base advantage: Refrigerating the spicy base makes it solid — you can portion it into cubes and freeze for future use.

🥗

Vegetable first: Add hardy vegetables like bok choy before delicate mushrooms for even cooking times.

🔥

Maintain heat: Keep broth at a gentle, steady simmer — not a rolling boil — to preserve the broth’s clarity and flavor.

🎬 Watch: How to Make Chinese Hot Pot

Follow along with the full video tutorial to see every step of this authentic hot pot recipe in action.

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