Spicy hotpot Notes : This is a mouth-tingling, numbing hotpot! The spicy soup stock base is a delicious broth in which fresh ingredients are poached - like a Chinese fondue. The Mandarin word for such a feast is 'huo-guo', meaning 'hotpot', because all the ingredients are cooked in a hotpot!
I love this kind of feast, it is easy to prepare, and is great for interaction with friends. All you need is an electric wok or fondue set up in the centre of the table and plenty of soup ladles and away you go. I had this dish in Chengdu in the middle of summer and it was fantastic. Be warned - this is extremely spicy.
For the soup base: heat a just over 1 1/2 L capacity wok over a high heat, and add the groundnut oil. Stir-fry the chillies and Sichuan peppercorns until fragrant. Add the chilli bean sauce and chilli sauce, then pour in the stock. Add the star anise, mushrooms, orange peel, chilli oil and ginger, and bring everything to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20 minutes.
Ten minutes before serving, stir in the chillies.
For the hotpot: whilst the stock is simmering, divide all the fish balls, spring onions, cabbage, deep-fried tofu, and fresh tofu on 4 serving plates, cover with plastic wrap, and chill them in the refrigerator.
For the soy dipping sauce: combine the black vinegar, soy sauce, and chillies in a bowl, and set the sauce aside.
For the special dipping sauce: let each guest prepare their own Taiwanese dipping sauce at the table. In a small bowl, stir to combine the egg yolk, satay sauce, coriander, and spring onions.*
5) For the assembly: to serve, arrange all the ingredients on the table. Transfer the soup base to an electric wok or fondue pot, and set it up in the center of the table. Let the guests help themselves, and cook the raw ingredients in the spicy broth. Serve with both dipping sauces.
Cook's Note: Make sure you have plenty of utensils for the raw ingredients at the table, and let your guests use those to add anything into the stockpot - this reduces the chance of cross contamination from the raw ingredients and your guests' serving plates.
*RAW EGG WARNING : Food Network Kitchens suggest caution in consuming raw and lightly-cooked eggs due to the slight risk of Salmonella or other food-borne illnesses. To reduce this risk, we recommend you use only fresh, properly-refrigerated, clean, grade A or AA eggs with intact shells, and avoid contact between the yolk or whites and the shell.
