1.Making Ciba Chili

2.Making spicy oil hotpot

Stir-fry hot pot base with clear oil

Recipe: 5 liters of rapeseed oil, 1000 grams of dried chili peppers, 300 grams of hot pot bean curd, 200 grams of red pepper, 100 grams of fermented black beans, 75 grams of rock sugar, 60 grams of fermented glutinous rice, 10 milliliters of white wine, 100 grams of scallion segments, 100 grams of ginger slices, 100 grams of onion shreds, 50 grams of garlic slices, 25 grams of coriander segments, 50 grams of hot pot chicken essence, 30 grams of yeast extract, 50 grams of lithospermum, 250 grams of spice powder

Preparation method:

1. Mix the coarse powder of spices with white wine and fermented glutinous rice and use the penetration of alcohol to precipitate the aromatic substances; wash the red peppercorns with clean water and drain the water after they swell slightly; soak the lithospermum with a small amount of hot oil to bring out the color, and set aside.

2. Wash the dried chili segments, put them in a pot of water, and cook over high heat until the chili has just absorbed the water (about 8 minutes). Please remove them and drain them. Please put them in a blender and grind them into coarse particles using a coarse-hole knife. This is the glutinous rice cake chili.

3. Put a clean pot on the fire, pour in rapeseed oil, and heat to 230℃; add scallion segments, onion shreds, and coriander segments and fry until golden and fragrant; remove from the oil and set aside, then add ginger and garlic slices and fry until fragrant, remove from the oil and set aside (see Figure a and Figure b).

4. Add the hotpot bean paste to the oil pan and stir-fry until crispy. Then add the ciba peppers and stir-fry over high heat until the water in the peppers has lost 50%. Then turn to low heat and stir-fry until the aroma is excellent. Then add rock sugar and fermented black beans, and stir-fry until the water is almost dry. Add the fried ginger and garlic slices and stir-fry for about 30 minutes. When the oil is clear, pour the red pepper, stir well, and turn off the heat. Add the coarse spice powder and stir well. Add the hotpot chicken essence, yeast extract, and lithospermum oil and stir well to get the clear oil hotpot base (see Figures c-i).

Note: When you are just starting to learn how to make a hot pot base, it is best to fry the bean curd in a separate pan beforehand to bring out the aroma so that the starch in the bean curd can gelatinize to avoid burning the pan during the subsequent frying process.

If the quantity is relatively large, you must first put the fried bean paste and glutinous rice pepper into another clean pot and mix well, then scoop up the hot oil with a ladle and pour it on top, stirring while pouring. When the amount of oil in the pot exceeds half its capacity, pour it into the original pot and continue frying. This is a safety measure taken to prevent the high oil temperature from causing the oil to overflow.

Frying oil:

Preparation method:

1. Mix the spice and red pepper powder with white wine and fermented glutinous rice. Soak the lithospermum in a small amount of hot oil to bring out the color.

2. Pour rapeseed oil into a clean pot and heat it to 230℃, then add scallion segments, onion shreds, coriander segments, ginger slices, and garlic slices and fry until golden brown and fragrant. Add the hotpot bean curd and fry until crispy, then add the glutinous rice cake peppers. First, stir-fry over high heat until the peppers lose 50% of their moisture, then turn to low heat and stir-fry until they are fragrant. Add rock sugar fermented black beans, and stir-fry until the moisture almost dries. The oil is clear, turn off the heat, add the coarse spice powder, pepper powder, and yeast extract, stir well, add lithospermum oil, and mix well; let it sit for a day, and filter the residue to make the hot pot oil.

Illustrate:

The spice recipe for hot pot base and oil is to mix 160 grams of star anise, 80 grams of white cardamom, 35 grams of grass fruit, 160 grams of cinnamon, 80 grams of galangal, 15 grams of galangal, 300 grams of fennel, 35 grams of bay leaves, 8 grams of angelica, 12 grams of amomum, 9 grams of thyme, 80 grams of angelica, 30 grams of cloves, 14 grams of ginger, 12 grams of piper longum, 15 grams of licorice, 16 grams of cumin, 8 grams of angelica, 12 grams of gardenia, 40 grams of old cardamom, 45 grams of nutmeg, 40 grams of tangerine peel, 20 grams of acanthopanax peel, 12 grams of dried ginger, 40 grams of vanilla and 15 grams of coriander seeds, then beat into coarse powder in a blender.

3.Making Butter Hot Pot

Stir-frying beef hotpot base

Recipe 1: 5000g butter, 150g red oil bean paste, 250g hot pot bean paste, 250g spice powder, 150g bullet pepper, 400g new generation millet pepper, 100g scallion, 50g ginger, 50g garlic, 100g onion shreds, 100g pickled ginger, 300g red pepper, 200g pickled pepper powder, 125g black beans, 25ml white wine, 25g fermented glutinous rice, 25g rock sugar, 150g hot pot chicken essence, 30g yeast extract, 150g lithospermum parkii

Recipe 2: 5000g butter, 850g Tianying chili pepper, 285g bullet chili pepper, 160g red pepper, 110ml white wine, 110g cumin, 50g black beans, 115g hot pot bean curd, 16g rock sugar, 120g garlic, 200g onion shreds, 200g ginger slices, 80g coriander section, 80g scallion section, 150g hot pot chicken essence, 30g yeast extract

Preparation method:

1. Mix the coarse spice powder or fennel with white wine and fermented glutinous rice. Wash the red pepper in clean water and drain the water. Scald the lithospermum with 150℃ hot oil to bring out the color. Also, mix various dried peppers to make glutinous rice peppers.

2. Heat the butter in a clean pot to 130℃. Add onion shreds, scallion, and coriander, and fry until golden brown and fragrant. Remove from the oil and set aside. Add ginger slices and garlic and fry until golden brown and fragrant. Remove from the oil and set aside.

3. Add fermented black beans, pickled pepper, and Ciba chili to hot oil and stir-fry until fragrant. Then add fermented black beans and rock sugar, and stir-fry until the water dries. Add fried ginger and garlic and stir-fry for about 30 minutes. When the oil is clear, add red pepper and coarse spice powder (or cumin) and stir-fry until fragrant. Turn off the heat, add chicken essence, yeast extract, and comfrey oil, and mix well to make the butter base.

Frying oil

Recipe: 5000g butter, 150g red oil bean paste, 250g hot pot bean paste, 300g spice powder, 150g bullet pepper, 300g new generation millet pepper, 150g scallion, 75g ginger, 75g garlic, 150g onion shreds, 100g pickled ginger, 150g red pepper powder, 200g pickled pepper powder, 250g Yongchuan fermented black beans, 80ml white wine, 100g fermented glutinous rice, 35g rock sugar, 10g yeast extract, 150g lithospermum parkii, some coriander.

Preparation method:

1. Mix the coarse powder of spices with white wine and fermented glutinous rice; scald the lithospermum with 150℃ hot oil to bring out the color. Mix various dried chilies to make glutinous chili.

2. Heat the butter in a clean pot to 130℃. Add ginger, garlic, onion shreds, scallions, coriander, pickled ginger slices, and fry until golden brown and fragrant. Add hotpot bean paste, pickled pepper, glutinous rice pepper, and stir-fry until aromatic. Add fermented black beans and rock sugar and stir-fry until the oil is clear. Pour in red pepper powder and spice powder and stir-fry until fragrant. After turning off the heat, add yeast extract and comfrey oil, stir well, let it stand for a while, and filter the residue. This is the hotpot oil (see Figures A to I).

Production key:

1. Whether you are frying the base or the oil, be sure not to burn the pan. This requires constantly shoveling the bottom of the pan to ensure that the ingredients are heated evenly. After the glutinous rice pepper is put into the pan, it must be fried until the skin is thin and shiny, and pay attention to adjusting the fire at any time. When frying peppercorns, when the peppercorns sink, and there are fewer and fewer peppercorns on the oil surface, it means that the water in the peppercorns is drying up. At this time, pay attention to adding the coarse powder of spices as loose bran. There will be a strong aroma coming towards you. Finally, could you stir evenly and turn off the heat?

2. When frying hot pot ingredients or oil, be sure to quickly fry over high heat to remove most of the water to prevent the peppers from becoming mushy, then switch to low heat to avoid burning the ingredients and allow the aroma and pigment inside the ingredients to penetrate fully, when frying hot pot ingredients, the added bean curd is mainly used to enhance the flavor. In contrast, the glutinous rice pepper is primarily used to improve the aroma and color. However, both must be slowly fried to dry the water vapor and thoroughly dissolve the spicy flavor and pigment in the oil.

3. adding rock sugar can help "brighten" the oil when frying hot pot ingredients. Fermented glutinous rice juice makes the spicy taste of bean curd and chili more moist and not dry and allows the fragrance of the spices to penetrate the oil thoroughly. In addition, fermented glutinous rice juice can help reconcile the flavors and remove the bitterness contained in some spices.

4. some differences exist between frying hot pot ingredients in large and small batches. The frying time of small batches is generally shorter than large batches. This is because the amount of raw materials and the frying time and heat are different. The time required to put various raw materials in is also slightly different. Especially when frying in small batches, you must pay attention to controlling the heat; otherwise, the aroma will not meet the requirements.

Tips:

1. Prep Ingredients First:
Could you gather and measure all ingredients to ensure a smooth cooking process?

2. Mix Wisely:
Combine coarse spice powders with white wine and fermented glutinous rice to extract aromas effectively.

3. Heat Control is Key:
Maintain the oil temperature at around 230°C for frying. Use a thermometer for accuracy.

4. Cook Dried Chilies Properly:
Boil dried chili segments until they absorb water (about 8 minutes) before blending to achieve the right texture.

5. Fry in Batches:
When frying ingredients, work in small batches to prevent overcrowding, ensuring even cooking and flavor infusion.

6. Watch for Color and Aroma:
As the ingredients fry, please pay attention to their color; golden brown indicates readiness. Stir constantly to avoid burning.

7. Add Ingredients in Order:
Follow the recipe’s order for adding ingredients—this maximizes flavor development and prevents burning.

8. Use Rock Sugar Wisely:
Adding rock sugar helps brighten the oil and balances flavors; ensure it melts completely.

9. Let It Sit:
After cooking, allow the mixture to rest for a day before filtering to enhance flavors.

10. Safety First:
Always be cautious with hot oil—use a ladle to manage oil levels and prevent spills.