Hot Pot 101
Everything you need to choose, cook and enjoy Chinese hot pot — at home or at the restaurant.
Start Here
Four guides, in order. Read them once and you'll be cooking like a local. Prefer a step-by-step checklist? Take the 5-step beginner path →
How to Hot Pot
Equipment, broth choice, what to buy, cooking order, safety tips. The complete beginner walkthrough.
Read Guide →Cooking Times
Exact cook times for 40+ ingredients. Never overcook beef (15 sec!) or undercook shrimp again.
See Chart →Dipping Sauces
5 classic Chinese hot pot sauce recipes with exact measurements. Mix your own at the table.
Get Recipes →Shopping List
Exact quantities per person for 4 categories — meat, vegetables, tofu and noodles. Print and shop.
Get the List →What Is Hot Pot?
China's great communal meal explained: 8 styles, how the meal works, costs, and how to make it at home.
Learn the Basics →Cook at Home
Broth, shopping list, cooking order, sauce bar — everything for your first hot pot night at home.
Get the Full Setup →Build Your Hot Pot
Shop the shelf, pick your pot and broth — get a complete shopping list in seconds.
Choose Your Pot
Choose Your Broth Base
Choose Your Broth
The broth is the soul of the meal. Pick the wrong one and nothing else matters.
Sichuan Mala Broth
四川麻辣锅底
Fiery, numbing, oily, deeply complex
Full Guide →
Chongqing Bold
重庆红汤
Heavier, oilier, more pungent than Sichuan mala. Whole dried chilies, beef tallow, raw doubanjiang.
Full Guide →
Clear Bone Broth
清汤锅底
Clean, mildly savory, subtly sweet, pure
Full Guide →
Tomato Broth
番茄汤底
Sweet, tangy, bright, naturally umami-rich
Full Guide →
Mushroom Broth
菌菇汤底
Earthy, deep umami, woodsy, subtly sweet
Full Guide →
Coconut Chicken Broth
椰子鸡汤底
Silky, mildly sweet, coconut-fragrant, clean
Full Guide →
Mongolian Milk Broth
内蒙古奶汤
Rich, creamy, subtly savory, warming
Full Guide →
Soy Milk Broth
豆浆锅底
Creamy, mild, slightly nutty, clean
Full Guide →Ingredient Decoder
See something on the menu you don't recognize? Enter the Chinese name, pinyin, or English — get the full story instantly.
- What it is and where it comes from
- Flavor, texture, cooking time
- Spice level and beginner rating
- Best broths to pair with it
What Is This?
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Popular Ingredients
Explore 30+ ingredients — what they are, how to cook them, and which broth they love.
How to Make Hot Pot
Eight steps from market to table — click any step to dive deeper.
Hot Pot Recipes
Step-by-step recipes with broth, dipping sauce, cooking order and food-safety temperatures.
Chongqing Mala
The real thing — beef tallow broth, maodu and the 七上八下 method
Beginner Hot Pot
Low-spice party setup for first-timers — shrimp, beef, simple sauce
Vegetarian
Full-flavour mushroom broth — no meat, no compromise on umami
Coconut Chicken
Hainan-style sweet, creamy broth — perfect introduction to hot pot