The Sichuan street classic: an assortment of beef, vegetables, tofu, and noodles cooked in an intensely spicy and numbing red broth. Final yield of about 900 g, or two 450 g bowls.
Ingredients
- 300 ml low-sodium beef broth
- 60 g Sichuan mala hotpot base
- 1 tsp canola oil
- 100 g thinly sliced hotpot beef
- 50 g dried tofu skins
- 60 g fresh lotus root
- 80 g Napa cabbage
- 50 g fresh enoki mushrooms
- 40 g fresh bean sprouts
- 40 g sweet potato vermicelli
- 2 cloves fresh garlic
- 1 piece scallion
- 4 sprigs fresh cilantro
- 20 g Chinese sesame paste
- 2 tsp light soy sauce
- 2 tsp Chinkiang black vinegar
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp whole Sichuan peppercorns
Method
- Rehydrate the sweet potato vermicelli in warm water until they become pliable while remaining firm in the center. Drain them thoroughly.
- Rinse the tofu skins and cut them into strips that are easy to pick up with chopsticks. Peel the lotus root, slice it thinly, and keep it in cold water to prevent it from turning black.
- Separate the Napa cabbage leaves. Cut the thick ribs into pieces and keep the leafy parts separate. Trim the earthy base off the enoki, separate the clusters, and rinse the bean sprouts.
- Coarsely crush the Sichuan peppercorns. Mince the garlic, slice the scallion, and pick the cilantro leaves.
- In a suitably deep pot, heat the canola oil over medium heat. Add the mala hotpot base and the Sichuan peppercorns, then stir until the fat is red and the spices fully release their aroma, without burning them.
- Gradually pour in the beef broth, stirring to dissolve the base. Bring to a simmer, then let the broth meld over low heat. Taste carefully: it should be concentrated, salty, highly aromatic, and assertively spicy.
- Add the lotus root, tofu skins, and Napa cabbage ribs. Maintain a steady simmer until the lotus is tender while retaining a slight resistance.
- Add the drained vermicelli. When they are almost transparent, fold in the bean sprouts, enoki, and leafy cabbage parts.
- Finally, dunk the beef slices one by one so they do not stick together. Stir them gently and stop cooking as soon as no raw parts remain visible; prolonged cooking would make them dry.
- Divide the sesame paste, soy sauce, black vinegar, sesame oil, and garlic among each bowl. Add a small ladle of piping hot broth and mix to form a smooth sauce.
- Divide the noodles, beef, tofu, and vegetables among the bowls. Pour in the remaining mala broth, mix gently from the bottom, then finish with the scallion and cilantro. Serve immediately, piping hot.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 609 kcal
- Protein
- 33.88 g
- Carbohydrate
- 36.62 g
- Fat
- 36.22 g
- Fibre
- 6.61 g
- Calcium
- 67.17 mg
- Iron
- 1.08 mg
- Magnesium
- 39.75 mg
