Chongqing Hotpot

Chongqing hotpot is a defining culinary experience. A divided pot simmers at the table — one side fiery red with chilies and Sichuan peppercorns, the other a clear broth for the less bold. You cook your own ingredients: thinly sliced beef, pork intestine, duck blood curd, lotus root, tofu skin, and a dizzying array of vegetables and offal, all dipped into sesame oil before eating.

The best hotpot restaurants in Chongqing are found along the Jiefangbei shopping area and the former old-town districts like Ciqikou. Dezhuang and Little Swan are well-established chains, but the best experience is often at a smaller neighbourhood restaurant with no English menu. Point at what others are ordering. The meal is long, social, and extremely spicy — pace yourself, and drink plenty of beer.

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A story
Chongqing hotpot is distinct from the Sichuan style found in Chengdu — it is older, oilier, and considerably fiercer. The broth is a deep red from dried chilies and Sichuan peppercorns and floats a thick layer of tallow. The numbing heat (麻辣, málà) is a hallmark: the Sichuan pepper makes your mouth go numb before the chili heat arrives. Chongqing people joke that you can tell where someone grew up by how they react to the broth — locals drink it without flinching.