Authentic Sichuan Hot Pot Recipe Sichuan, China

First, make the beef stock. Place the bone, shin, and water in a pot, bringing it to a boil before lowering it to a simmer. Skim off any impurities that rise to the surface. Add the Sichuan peppercorns and ginger to the pot.

After simmering for 90 minutes, remove the beef shin from the broth. At this point, you can slice some of the shin to use in the hot pot, or set it aside for other dishes, such as a liangban (a Chinese-style cold salad) or as a topping for noodles.

Continue to simmer the broth for a total of six hours, although you have the option to extend this time for a deeper flavor. Once done, strain the broth to remove solids.

Reserve 3 cups of the strained broth for immediate use and set aside an additional cup for topping up the pot as needed during the meal. Freeze any remaining broth for future use.

For the hot pot broth, begin by melting the tallow in a pan over medium-low heat. Make sure to keep the temperature between 105 and 110 degrees Celsius (220-230°F) before adding the minced chili bean paste.

Cook the paste gently until it darkens to a deeper red and takes on a slightly "grainy" texture as you stir, which should take about 7-8 minutes.

Next, incorporate the ginger, fermented black beans, and rock sugar into the pan, frying until the ginger and beans start to dry out slightly, roughly 3 minutes.

Then, add the chili powder and Sichuan peppercorns, frying everything together for about 1 minute. Stir in the laozao fermented rice and Shaoxing wine, cooking for an additional minute.

To finish, pour the prepared base into your hot pot container. Mix in the stock and bring to a boil. After that, incorporate the rest of the seasonings. Adjust the flavor as necessary with more salt or chicken powder.

If using daikon (refer to the 'recommended ingredients' section for more details), add it to the pot first, as it requires more time to cook. Once ready, bring the hot pot to the table and begin your meal.