---
title: "Chinese Hot Pot: What to Order, How Long to Cook It, the Dipping Sauce and How to Eat It, With Pinyin"
description: "Chinese hot pot, 火锅, in Chinese: the broths from numbing 麻辣 to clear, what to order and how long to cook each, how to mix the dipping sauce, how to order and eat it, the regional styles, and 41 words with pinyin and sound."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-hot-pot"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

Free · 41 words

# Chinese hot pot

[Print as flashcards](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-flashcards?level=mine&words=%E7%81%AB%E9%94%85%20%E9%94%85%E5%BA%95%20%E9%BA%BB%E8%BE%A3%20%E6%B8%85%E6%B1%A4%20%E7%89%9B%E6%B2%B9%20%E9%87%8D%E5%BA%86%E7%81%AB%E9%94%85%20%E6%B6%AE%E7%BE%8A%E8%82%89%20%E5%86%92%E8%8F%9C%20%E9%BA%BB%E8%BE%A3%E7%83%AB%20%E8%82%A5%E7%89%9B%20%E7%BE%8A%E8%82%89%20%E8%99%BE%E6%BB%91%20%E5%8D%88%E9%A4%90%E8%82%89%20%E9%B1%BC%E4%B8%B8%20%E7%89%9B%E8%82%89%E4%B8%B8%20%E8%B1%86%E8%85%90%20%E8%85%90%E7%AB%B9%20%E8%B1%86%E7%9A%AE%20%E7%B2%89%E4%B8%9D%20%E9%87%91%E9%92%88%E8%8F%87%20%E9%A6%99%E8%8F%87%20%E7%99%BD%E8%8F%9C%20%E8%8F%A0%E8%8F%9C%20%E7%94%9F%E8%8F%9C%20%E8%98%91%E8%8F%87%20%E6%B5%B7%E5%B8%A6%20%E9%BA%BB%E9%85%B1%20%E9%A6%99%E6%B2%B9%20%E8%92%9C%E6%B3%A5%20%E9%A6%99%E8%8F%9C%20%E8%91%B1%E8%8A%B1%20%E9%86%8B%20%E9%85%B1%E6%B2%B9%20%E8%85%90%E4%B9%B3%20%E9%9F%AD%E8%8F%9C%E8%8A%B1%20%E6%B6%AE%20%E4%B8%8B%E9%94%85%20%E6%9C%8D%E5%8A%A1%E5%91%98%20%E4%B9%B0%E5%8D%95%20%E5%BE%AE%E8%BE%A3%20%E9%85%B8%E6%A2%85%E6%B1%A4)

Speed

## What to order, and how long to cook it

| | In Chinese | Cook it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Beef tripe | 毛肚 máodǔ | About 15 seconds: dip it up and down, “seven up, eight down”, 七上八下, until it curls |
| Duck intestine | 鸭肠 yācháng | A few seconds, until it curls |
| Sliced fatty beef | 肥牛 féiniú | About 30 seconds, until it changes colour |
| Sliced lamb | 羊肉 yángròu | About 30 seconds, until it changes colour |
| Shrimp paste | 虾滑 xiāhuá | Scoop it in; about 3 minutes, until it floats |
| Duck blood | 鸭血 yāxiě | About 3 to 5 minutes |
| Frozen tofu | 冻豆腐 dòng dòufu | About 5 minutes, so it soaks up the broth |
| Lotus root slices | 藕片 ǒupiàn | About 3 minutes, still crunchy |
| Wide sweet-potato noodles | 宽粉 kuānfěn | About 5 minutes or more; put them in last |
| Enoki mushrooms | 金针菇 jīnzhēngū | About 2 minutes |

## Hot pot and its broths

huǒ火guō锅

hot pot

guō锅dǐ底

soup base (for hot pot)

má麻là辣

hot and numbing (Sichuan flavor)

qīng清tāng汤

clear soup; broth

niú牛yóu油

beef tallow

chóng重qìng庆huǒ火guō锅

Chongqing hotpot

shuàn涮yáng羊ròu肉

instant-boiled mutton; lamb hotpot

mào冒cài菜

maocai (Sichuan boiled-dish hotpot)

má麻là辣tàng烫

malatang (spicy numbing hot pot snack)

## Meat and seafood

féi肥niú牛

fatty beef (thin slices for hotpot)

yáng羊ròu肉

mutton; lamb (meat)

xiā虾huá滑

shrimp paste (for hot pot)

wǔ午cān餐ròu肉

luncheon meat; Spam

yú鱼wán丸

fish ball

niú牛ròu肉wán丸

beef ball

## Tofu, noodles and vegetables

dòu豆fu腐

tofu; bean curd

fǔ腐zhú竹

dried bean curd sticks; yuba

dòu豆pí皮

tofu skin

fěn粉sī丝

glass noodles; bean vermicelli

jīn金zhēn针gū菇

enoki mushroom

xiāng香gū菇

shiitake mushroom

bái白cài菜

Chinese cabbage; napa cabbage

bō菠cài菜

spinach

shēng生cài菜

lettuce

mó蘑gu菇

mushroom

hǎi海dài带

kelp

## The dipping sauce

má麻jiàng酱

sesame paste

xiāng香yóu油

sesame oil

suàn蒜ní泥

mashed garlic; garlic paste

xiāng香cài菜

cilantro; coriander

cōng葱huā花

chopped scallion

cù醋

vinegar

jiàng酱yóu油

soy sauce

fǔ腐rǔ乳

fermented bean curd

jiǔ韭cài菜huā花

garlic chive flowers; chive flower sauce

## At the table

shuàn涮

to dip-boil (thin slices in hot pot)

xià下guō锅

to put into the pot; to cook

fú服wù务yuán员

waiter; waitress

mǎi买dān单

to pay the bill

wēi微là辣

mildly spicy

suān酸méi梅tāng汤

sour plum drink

## Now read them in a real story

[**姐姐说热，妹妹说冷**Hot or cold? Chinese oppositesHSK 2 · 1 minRead it free](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/chinese-opposites-hot-or-cold)

## What is Chinese hot pot?

Hot pot, 火锅 (huǒguō), is a pot of simmering broth in the middle of the table: everyone cooks raw meat, seafood, tofu and vegetables in it a few pieces at a time, then dips them in their own sauce. The best known is Chongqing hot pot, 重庆火锅 (Chóngqìng huǒguō), numbing and spicy, 麻辣 (málà), in beef tallow, 牛油 (niúyóu). Beijing’s is instant-boiled lamb, 涮羊肉 (shuàn yángròu), in a charcoal copper pot with clear broth, 清汤 (qīngtāng); Chaoshan in Guangdong is known for fresh beef hot pot, and Cantonese call hot pot 打边炉 (dǎ biān lú).

## What broth should I order?

Most restaurants let you choose the soup base, 锅底 (guōdǐ). If not everyone eats spicy food, order the split pot, 鸳鸯锅 (yuānyang guō), the “mandarin duck pot”, half numbing and spicy and half mild, such as clear, tomato or mushroom broth. Choose the heat when you order: 微辣 (wēi là), mild, 中辣 (zhōng là), medium, or 特辣 (tè là), extra hot.

## What do you put in Chinese hot pot?

Thin slices of fatty beef, 肥牛 (féiniú), and lamb, 羊肉 (yángròu); shrimp paste, 虾滑 (xiāhuá), fish balls, 鱼丸 (yúwán), and luncheon meat, 午餐肉 (wǔcānròu); in Sichuan, beef tripe, duck intestine and duck blood. Then tofu, 豆腐 (dòufu), tofu skin, 腐竹 (fǔzhú), glass noodles, 粉丝 (fěnsī), mushrooms like enoki, 金针菇 (jīnzhēngū), napa cabbage, 白菜 (báicài), spinach, lettuce, potato and kelp, 海带 (hǎidài). Order a few meats and a few vegetables per person, and add more as you go.

## How do you make hot pot dipping sauce?

In Beijing it starts with sesame paste, 麻酱 (májiàng), mixed with fermented tofu, 腐乳 (fǔrǔ), chive flower sauce, 韭菜花 (jiǔcàihuā), and a little chilli oil. In Chongqing it is a bowl of sesame oil, 香油 (xiāngyóu), with crushed garlic, 蒜泥 (suànní), cooling the spicy food. Most restaurants have a sauce bar where you mix your own: add coriander, 香菜 (xiāngcài), chopped scallion, 葱花 (cōnghuā), vinegar, 醋 (cù), soy sauce, 酱油 (jiàngyóu), and chillies to taste.

## What are the rules for eating hot pot?

Put in only what you will eat soon, and use the serving ladle or shared chopsticks, 公筷 (gōngkuài), to take food out, not your own. Don’t fish around for someone else’s piece. Cook tripe and thin slices quickly and lift them out, leave tofu, blood and noodles longer, and ask the waiter, 服务员 (fúwùyuán), to add soup, 加汤 (jiā tāng), when it runs low. Cool down with sour plum drink, 酸梅汤 (suānméitāng), or iced jelly, 冰粉 (bīngfěn), and say 买单 (mǎidān) for the bill.

## How is Chinese hot pot different from shabu-shabu?

Japanese shabu-shabu is said to come from the Beijing lamb hot pot, 涮羊肉: the same quick dip of thin meat in clear broth. Chinese hot pot is broader, with spicy, tomato and mushroom broths, a sauce you mix yourself and a long menu of meat, offal, tofu, noodles and vegetables. Malatang, 麻辣烫 (málàtàng), and maocai, 冒菜 (màocài), are quicker cousins: you pick the ingredients and the kitchen cooks them in the spicy broth for you.

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## More Chinese food

- [Chinese food and dish names](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-food-names)
- [Chinese restaurant phrases](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-phrases/restaurant)
- [Chinese breakfast](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-breakfast)
- [Chinese cooking words](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-cooking-words)

Words, pinyin and meanings from our own dictionary; the styles from Wikipedia’s Hot pot and Chongqing hot pot. Cooking times are the usual ones restaurants give; cook meat until it is done.