Tripe Hot Pot

Tripe Hot Pot

　　Tripe Hot Pot is a traditional Sichuan specialty. It features beef tripe as the main ingredient, accompanied by beef liver, beef kidney, yellow beef sirloin, and other various ingredients. Diners cook the ingredients themselves in the hot pot. The dish is known for its strong spicy and numbing flavors, rich and savory broth, and is suitable for all seasons. Hot pot has a long history in China, and Sichuan-Chongqing tripe hot pot originated early. By the mid-Qing Dynasty, it had become widely popular in cities.

　　Ingredients: 250g beef tripe, 100g beef liver, 100g beef kidney, 150g yellow beef sirloin, 100g beef marrow, fresh vegetables, 300g beef tallow, broad bean paste, minced ginger, chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, cooking wine, fermented black beans, sweet fermented rice wine, and salt.

　　Preparation: Clean the beef tripe by shaking off any debris, then lay it flat on a cutting board. Arrange the tripe leaves neatly and rinse them repeatedly under water until no black membrane or grassy smell remains. Trim the edges of the tripe flaps and remove the oil skin from the bottom (the side without leaves), then cut along the grain, grouping one large leaf with one small leaf. Flatten and slice each group, then soak the slices in cold water. Slice the beef liver, beef kidney, and yellow beef sirloin into thin pieces. Cut green onions and garlic sprouts into 6 cm-long segments. Wash the fresh vegetables (such as cabbage, celery, Chinese cabbage, or pea shoots) and tear them into strips. Heat a wok over medium heat, add the beef tallow, and heat until 60% hot. Add minced broad bean paste and stir-fry until fragrant and slightly crisp. Then add minced ginger, chili peppers, and Sichuan peppercorns, and stir-fry until aromatic. Pour in 1.25 kg of beef broth and bring to a boil. Transfer the mixture to a clay pot, then place it over high heat. Add cooking wine, minced fermented black beans, and sweet fermented rice wine, and bring to a boil to develop the flavors. Skim off any foam (but do not remove the oil), resulting in the hot pot broth.

　　When serving, bring the hot pot broth to a boil and place it on the table. The beef marrow can be added to the hot pot first. Serve the other raw meat and vegetable slices separately in small dishes, along with salt and beef tallow. Cook the meat and vegetables in the broth as you eat, adjusting the saltiness and richness by adding salt and beef tallow according to taste. Provide each diner with a small dish of sesame oil for dipping.