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hot pot broth

Healthy Hot Pot Broth (Plain + Spicy)

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Total Time 2 hours
Servings: 3
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb pork ribs
  • 3 lb beef bone
  • 30 g dried chilies
  • 1 tbsp Sichuan pepper red, green or a mixture of both
  • 4 tbsp Shaoxing wine
  • 1 cup Olive oil
  • 1 star anise
  • 1 small piece cassia cinnamon
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 Chinese black cardamom
  • 2 White cardamom
  • 1/2 tsp Fennel seeds
  • 1 Spring onion
  • 1 large piece ginger
  • 2 tbsp Sichuan chilli bean paste aka Doubanjiang
  • 1 tsp fermented black beans rinsed
  • 1 tsp rock sugar
  • 1 tbsp fermented glutinous rice (aka tian jiu niang)

Method
 

  1. Prepare 1 lb pork ribs and 3 lb beef bone, wash clean
  2. Add bones to a pot and add water. Bring to a boil. Take out the bones as soon as it boils to remove extra blood and impurities
  3. Slice white part of spring onion and ginger
  4. Add the bones to a large pot, add 8-10 cups of water, top with spring onion and ginger slice
  5. Bring to boil, remove foam on top. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours.
  6. Prepare about 30g of dry chili. Take out about 5 whole chilies for garnish later. Cut the chilies into sections and shake out the seeds. The purpose of this step is to release the seeds so the hot pot base is not too spicy. You can use a strainer to shake out even more seeds from the peppers. Soak chilies with hot water for 30 minutes. Drain and add to a food processor to process chilies to chili paste ( we will use about 3/4 cups of chili paste). You can also chop up the chilies with a knife or use a mortar and pestle.
  7. Prepare other ingredients and spices: 1 tsp of Fermented black soybeans, 2 tbsp of Doubanjiang, 1 tsp of rock sugar, 1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorn, 2 white cardamom, 1/2 black cardamom, 1 star anise, 1 small piece of Chinese cinnamon, 1 bay leaves and 1 tsp of fennel seeds, 1 tbsp fermented glutinous rice.
  8. Combine Sichuan peppercorn and dry spices in a bowl and soak with shaoxing wine to release flavor. We will drain the spices later before use.
  9. Add olive oil to a sauce pan. Turn on the heat. When bubbles come out testing with a chopstick, add chili paste. Stir for about 5 minutes
  10. Add in the spices. Remember to drain the cooking wine before putting them in. Cook on low heat for 2-3 minutes.
  11. Add Sichuan Doubanjiang and fermented black beans. Stir for 3-4 minutes
  12. Add rock sugar and fermented glutinous rice. Stir for 2 more minutes.
  13. Turn off the heat and let cool for a while. This is the spicy hot pot base
  14. Add to the spicy side of the hot pot. Add water to fill up the hot pot.
  15. When the soup stock is ready, take out the soup and add to the plain side of the hot pot. Top with additional flavoring ingredients such as dried morel mushroom, goji berries, jujube fruit, dried mushroom slices, spring onion and ginger.
  16. Bring both sides to boil and it's ready. Let the spicy side boil for 5-10 more minutes to release more flavor.