Nation warms to hotpot in all seasons

Hong Kong-style hotpot is also becoming popular in Beijing because of its high-quality ingredients.

Guo Jianxing, executive chef at the Xifenglou Hongkong-style Seafood Hotpot in the capital, said a feature of its fish maw and chicken soup base hotpot is that the soup is tasted first before the other ingredients are boiled.

"The soup is boiled for 10 hours with chicken, pork bone, ham and a 1.25-kilogram, 45-day-old chicken from Qingyuan, Guangdong province. The fish maw is added to the soup after orders are placed, to ensure that the golden-colored soup is tasty and nourishing," Guo, 37, said.

"The soup base is the key. If we don't master a particular soup on the day, that type of hotpot will not be available."

Guo, who grew up in Zhongshan, Guangdong, moved to Beijing 20 years ago. He said fish maw and chicken hotpot has only been available in the city for three years, but has been warmly welcomed by diners in northern China.

"I think they have accepted this Cantonese-style flavor step-by-step. At first, they tried lightly flavored Cantonese dishes, but now they like the hotpot," he said.

"We don't boil the lamb in our hotpot, but add it gradually, as many diners have requested," he said.

Fish, local vegetables and fresh fish maw are sent from Guangdong to Beijing daily. "Some 40 percent of our diners on weekends are families from Guangdong and Hong Kong, and it is traditional for us to have a large Cantonese-style brunch together," he added.

Unlike hotpot using frozen lamb, which is popular in North China, Chaoshan-style hotpot from Guangdong features a soup base consisting of boiled beef balls with radishes and corn.

The beef is accompanied by Shacha sauce, which is made from soybeans, oil, garlic, shallots, chilies, brill fish and dried shrimp, and is savory and slightly spicy.

Jin Yiqi, 25, who works for a bank in Beijing, developed a taste for Chaoshan-style hotpot after making a trip to Shenzhen, Guangdong, earlier this year.

Two years ago, she ate Sichuan hotpot three times a week to "release pressure from work", but now she cares more about the quality and freshness of the ingredients, especially the meat and the flavor of the soup base.

"For spicy-flavored hotpot, you cannot tell if the ingredients are fresh or not, but for Chaoshan hotpot, you can," she said.

Taiwan-style hotpot is a new trend in Beijing, as its spicy soup base is a version of that found in Sichuan, but the spiciness is reduced. The Taiwan variety is always paired with fresh duck's blood and tofu.

Hainan-style hotpot with a coconut and chicken soup base is also becoming popular in the capital. The chicken used for it must come from Wenchang, Hainan province, as it has a particularly thin skin and tender meat.

Yunnan-style hotpot features mushrooms and other ingredients from the southwestern province, along with tofu made in Jianshui county, which is particularly tough. The dipping sauce consists of minced chilies and other spices, which highlight the flavor of the mushrooms.

Hotpot from overseas is also gaining traction in China, such as a sukiyaki and soybean milk-flavored version from Japan and an offering from South Korea based on pickled cabbage.

Tom Yum Kung soup from Thailand is also being used as a new flavor for a hotpot soup base. In Chengdu, the Jiyu restaurant quickly became popular after it introduced this version. Long lines also formed in Beijing, where a branch opened this year.

Jin, the bank employee, said, "Many new hotpot restaurants are opening in Beijing, so I'll read the comments and photos on Meituan Dianping to see if they have any specialties before choosing which one to try."