Sichuan hot pot

What to get ready

• Pork fat 11.3 oz
• Sichuan-style bean paste 7.1 oz
• Sichuan dried chili peppers 4.9 oz
• Sichuan peppercorns 1.7 oz
• Cinnamon 4 bars
• Cardamom 0.7 oz
• Beef omasum tripe 1.8 lb
• Beef 1.6 lb
• Tofu 1.3 lb
• Chicken broth 13 ½ cups

Method

1. 1 Melt the pork fat and then stir-fry the fermented soybean paste over low heat for 20 minutes until the oil turns dark red.
2. 2 Sautéing the soybean paste for a full 20 minutes over low heat is the foundation of the hot pot broth; sautéing it too quickly will result in a bitter and dull broth.
3. 3 Add dried chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, cinnamon, and cardamom, then stir for 3 minutes.
4. 4 Pour in the chicken broth and simmer for 25 minutes to allow the flavors to fully infuse into the soup.
5. 5 Beef tripe should only be blanched for 15 seconds and beef slices for 10 seconds; overcooking will make them tough like rubber.
6. 6 Place the hot pot in the center of the table with tofu and various dipping ingredients, served with sesame oil mixed with garlic.

With an appliance

• Pressure cooker 1 hr 6 min

  Replace step 4: after sautéing the soy sauce and spices, pour in the broth and cook under high pressure for 8 minutes, then release the pressure quickly and controllably; this reduces the cooking time to about 17 minutes compared to the usual 25 minutes. The chili and Sichuan peppercorn flavor is extracted quickly, and there's no need to constantly monitor the pot, but the liquid doesn't evaporate as much, so season again after opening the lid. The ingredients dipped in steps 5-6 are still cooked with the lid open at the table.