Chengdu or Chongqing: Which City Has the Best Hotpot? – China Underground

Chengdu and Chongqing are both famous food cities in China, popular for their hot pots. Due to differences in food culture, the hot pots in these two cities also have their own unique characteristics. This guide will take you through the differences on food culture and hot pot types between the two cities.

Culinary Culture

Chengdu

Sichuan cuisine is one of the eight major cuisines in China, renowned for its variety and unique flavors. Chengdu holds an important cultural status in Sichuan, which provides both solid material and cultural foundations for its culinary industry. Its unique cooking techniques and ingredients are key reasons for its status as one of the most popular regional cuisines.

The humid climate of the Sichuan Basin makes locals rely on chili peppers to dispel dampness from their bodies. Therefore, you can enjoy many spicy dishes in Chengdu. Renowned for its complex flavor profiles, Chengdu cuisine harmonizes spicy and fresh elements. Chefs employ diverse cooking methods including stir-frying, pan-frying, and steaming to create its distinctive dishes. Another distinctive feature of Chengdu’s food culture is its abundant variety of snacks. During your Chengdu tours, you can try traditional delicacies like sweet water noodles and wontons.

Chongqing

Spicy flavor is a prominent feature of Chongqing cuisine. Chongqing people are very good at combining various kinds of spices with ingredients to bring a rich taste experience. The locals use chili peppers and peppercorns to give their dishes a strong flavor. Chongqing has a rich variety of cooking methods, including stir-frying, boiling and grilling to create a variety of cuisines.

The rich variety of local ingredients gives Chongqing food culture its distinctive character. Chongqing is rich in bamboo shoots, mushrooms and other ingredients grown in the mountains. It also boasts a wide variety of river and lake delicacies. Chongqing people cook these natural ingredients into a homemade cuisine. Furthermore, situated at a critical junction of waterway trade routes, Chongqing has become a melting pot of regional culinary traditions, significantly enhancing its distinctive snack culture.

Chengdu Hot Pot vs Chongqing Hot Pot

Hot pot is very popular in Chengdu and Chongqing, captivating diners with its rich diversity. The hot pot in these two cities differs in several aspects, including the soup base, ingredients, hot pot dips, and seasonings.

Chengdu Hot Pot

Chengdu hot pot is one of Sichuan’s traditional delicacies. Chengdu people have developed and improved hot pot based on local eating habits and cultural customs.

Soup Base

Chengdu hot pot broth comes in a variety of flavors, including spicy broth, clear broth, and vegetable oil broth. Spicy broth is made with beef tallow as its foundation, combined with more than 20 spices such as Sichuan pepper and chili peppers. For those who cannot eat spicy food, a clear broth base is available. The clear broth base is made from pork skin, chicken, and pork bones, creating a delicious flavor.

Vegetable oil broth bases are suitable for people who cannot tolerate spicy food or prefer light flavors. These soup bases are made with rapeseed oil and boiled with green Sichuan pepper, giving them relatively refreshing tastes.

Ingredients

Chengdu hot pot includes diverse ingredients, including various meats, seafood, vegetables, and tofu products. Beef slices and fish are popular Chengdu hot pot ingredients that absorb the spicy broth’s flavor during cooking. A local specialty is hot pot aorta, known for its distinctive texture and taste. This is a major artery from a pig or beef, which is high in protein. Hot pot aorta is popular for its crispy and chewy texture after cooking.

Hot Pot Dips

Hot pot must be served with a variety of dipping sauces. Dry dip stands as one of Chengdu’s most beloved traditional condiments, cherished for generations for its perfect harmony of crunch and spice. This sauce combines precisely measured proportions of flaky sea salt, piquant chili powder, aromatic toasted sesame seeds, and freshly ground Sichuan pepper.

Oil dip is a traditional hot pot dipping sauce. Mix sesame oil, garlic, and green onions together to enjoy with your hot pot. Sesame oil can enhance the flavor of food and reduce the spiciness of the broth. For those who like spicy food, you can also try mixing chili powder, Thai chili, bean paste, beef sauce, and pepper powder.

Seasonings

Chengdu hot pot shows its distinctive culinary style through masterful seasoning adjustments. The foundation of Chengdu hot pot broth primarily consists of chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, and bean paste. The true transformation occurs during the gentle simmering phase. During this time, traditional spices like star anise, cinnamon, and bay leaves infuse the broth with a deep and aromatic essence, providing an authentic Chengdu hot pot flavor.

Chongqing Hot Pot

Enjoying hot pot is one of the top things to do in Chongqing. Chongqing hot pot will give you a different culinary experience.

Soup Base

The biggest difference between Chongqing hot pot and Chengdu hot pot is the soup base. Chongqing hot pot is characterized by its beef tallow broth. Traditional Chongqing hot pot uses a large amount of chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns in the soup base to make the spicy flavor more intense. Nowadays, locals still add seasonings such as green onions, ginger, and garlic to the soup to enhance the flavor of the hot pot.

Ingredients

An important step in making hot pot is choosing the proper ingredients. Chongqing hot pot has a unique way of categorizing ingredients, dividing them into meat dishes and vegetarian dishes. In Chongqing hot pot, meat ingredients include various types of beef, pork, chicken, etc. There is a wider variety of vegetables, such as Chinese cabbage, spinach, carrots, potatoes, bamboo shoots, etc.

In Chongqing hot pot, you can also try many unique ingredients. As a processed edible by-product of bovine offal, tripe is prized for its distinctive elasticity and chewiness. There are three common types of beef tripe on the market today, each with a different price. Duck intestines are another popular hot pot ingredient, known for their distinctive crunchy texture. During your Chongqing tours, you can try these two local ingredients.

Hot Pot Dips

Don’t forget to eat your Chongqing hot pot with dipping sauce. Trying hot pot with dipping sauces can reduce the spiciness, making the food taste more delicious. The traditional dipping sauce for Chongqing hot pot is sesame oil and garlic. You can prepare the dipping sauce according to your own preferences.

Seasonings

When making hot pot, great emphasis is placed on the careful selection and processing of seasoning ingredients. Locals make full use of the characteristics of each seasoning to create a broth with the unique flavor of hot pot. Chongqing hot pot requires a variety of seasonings, such as chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, and bean paste.

The chili peppers in hot pot serve to remove fishiness, reduce greasiness, enhance the aroma of the hot pot broth, and add color. Sichuan peppercorns can help remove fishiness and enhance flavor. Besides, bean paste adds a salty and savory flavor to the hot pot broth, making it thicker and more flavorful.

Summary

Chengdu hot pot and Chongqing hot pot are both famous Chinese cuisines. These two hot pot styles differ in ingredients, flavors, and soup bases. Don’t forget to try this traditional delicacy during your trip to Chengdu and Chongqing.

Post Author

Eleanor D.

Editor of China-Underground, covering Chinese history, culture, society, politics, art, cinema, and contemporary issues.