Hotpot is a social meal before it is a spicy one, and the whole format is built to accommodate a table that does not agree about chilli.
The split pot#
The 鸳鸯锅 — named for the mandarin duck, which in Chinese symbolises a pair — is a pot divided into two compartments, usually with the red chilli broth on one side and something mild on the other. It originated in Chongqing, home of the fiercest version of the dish, precisely because mixed tables are the norm.
The mild side is typically one of:
- 清汤 (qīngtāng) — clear broth, often with jujube, goji and spring onion.
- 菌汤 (jūntāng) — mushroom broth, slow-simmered on bone stock. The best of the three, and worth ordering even if you like heat.
- 番茄 (fānqié) — tomato, mildly sweet and sour, and the safest with children.
Restaurants with more than two compartments exist, so a table of four with four opinions is also solvable.
Dial the heat down, and dial the numbing separately#
This is the part most visitors do not know. Sichuan and Chongqing broths have two independent sensations, and you can adjust them separately:
- 辣 (là) is chilli heat. Ask for 微辣 (wēilà), mildly spicy, or 不辣 (bùlà), not spicy.
- 麻 (má) is the cool, buzzing numbness from the Sichuan peppercorn. Ask for 少麻 (shǎo má), less numbing, or 免麻 (miǎn má), none.
If the numbing is what you dislike rather than the heat, saying so gets you a much better meal than simply asking for the mild pot. Many first-timers assume the tingling is an allergic reaction; it is the peppercorn doing exactly what it is meant to do.
Build the dipping sauce to help#
The sauce bar is self-service and does real work here. The Sichuan and Chongqing standard is sesame oil with a lot of raw minced garlic, plus coriander and spring onion. The oil coats the mouth and blunts capsaicin, which is why it is served with the hottest broths rather than the mildest. In northern China the base is sesame paste instead, which is thicker and equally effective.
Whatever you do, do not reach for cold water. It spreads the capsaicin. Sesame oil, yoghurt drinks, soy milk and plain rice all work better.
What to cook on the mild side#
Anything delicate is better in clear broth regardless of your tolerance: leafy greens, tofu skin, mushrooms, fish, prawns, and hand-made noodles. The chilli side suits the robust classics — tripe, duck intestine, luncheon meat, lotus root, potato slices, beef.
So the split pot is not a compromise. It is how you get two different meals out of one table.
For broths, regional styles and what to order beyond the basics, see the guide to Chinese hotpot; for the two cities that argue about it, Chongqing and Chengdu.