Random Stuff - Chengdu
Hot Pot
If you come to Chengdu, you
really should try hot pot. What follows is some advice for huo
guo newbies.
The more the merrier
Hot pot is best enjoyed with a group of people; the more people,
the greater variety of food. Sometimes referred to
as Chinese fondue, there is a large pot of soup placed in
the middle of the table with hole cut out and a gas burner
to heat the soup. Everyone at the table eats from this
large soup pot. The food ordered is brought to the table
uncooked and everyone chooses what they want to eat by putting
the food in pot, leaving it to cook in the bubbling soup.
Types of hot pot
Most hot pot restaurants offer a variety of hot pot soup options. There
are usually three degrees of spiciness (red side) and for the
spice whimps, there is also a no-spice white side. For
most westerns the “wei la” (little hot spice)
is plenty hot. With a split pot, one half is red soup and
one half white. Ordering the red and white soups, you can
be sure that everyone will be able to eat without undue distress. Another
tip is that the red side is full of red chillies and oil. To
avoid the dreaded HIHO syndrome (Hot In, Hot Out) try this: the
red side is best for meats and tofu, since these foods do not
soak up as much spicy oil as vegetables. The white side
is best for vegetables and foods with more delicate flavours
such as mushrooms and fish. Experiment with what works
best for you. A few restaurants offer XiHongSi HuoGuo - hot pot
in tomato soup. This is a wonderful variation.
What to eat
If your Chinese language skills are limited, you will find that
pointinese is well understood. Have a look at what others
are eating, and provide entertainment to local patrons by
touring the restaurant choosing what other people have. You
may be able to go to the kitchen or food preparation area
to choose. You can eat pretty much anything in hot pot, but
these are popular orders: sliced pork, beef, tofu/doufu (beancurd),
many types of mushrooms, lettuce, cucumber, cauliflower,
tomato, quails' eggs, shrimps/prawns, fish. The combination
of flavours after combinations of different ingredients have
been cooking together is part of the magic of hot pot.
Vegans and veggies
If you are a strict vegan, hot pot is probably not for you -
even if all the food you order is veg, the chances are that
some meat or meat stock has gone into the soup. This may
not be true of all restaurants, but it's a general rule.
If you are trapped into going to a hot pot place, the restaurant
should be able at least to give you a bowl of rice and you
will have to make do with that and the vegetables (without
consigning them to the soup, of course).
Can you take
it? Spice
advice.
If you are unsure if you will be able to handle the spiciness,
it is a good idea to have some plain white rice handy just in
case. The white rice will absorb the spicy oil better than
anything else and can save one from undue suffering. Some recommend
yoghurt as an anti-spice agent, too. Remember to pick up the
free packs of tissue paper offered by many restaurants. You should
be OK, but you just never know.
Article
(slightly amended by RS - Peter is far too polite to mention
toilet paper) by Peter Snow Cao of Bike
China Adventures
