3
Dec, 2020
Sichuan Hotpot

Chinese Sichuan Hotpot

NOW! Save 10% on any subscription with code JOIN10.
Sichuan Hotpot

Chinese Sichuan Hotpot

SpiceBreeze
Warming hotpot is one of the most popular dishes of the Chinese province Sichuan (aka Szechuan). The Sichuanese love to get together with family and friends spending hours sitting around the simmering pot, eating, and chatting.
Asian groceries offer hotpot bases with ingredients like monosodium glutamate and artificial flavors. The mild SpiceBreeze hotpot seasoning uses only pure and freshly ground spices.
 
Share Pin Print
Hands-on Time 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 3

Ingredients
  

  • 2 quarts bone broth homemade or good quality store-bought
  • 1 can tomato paste 6 oz
  • 2 small onions finely chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic grated or pressed
  • 1 inch ginger sliced
  • 1-2 tbsp sugar or honey, or syrup
  • salt
  • vegetable oil
  • 4 strainer cups or slotted spoons

Hotpot Culinary Spice Kit

  • Fennel, star anise, cloves, cinnamon, black peppercorn, Sichuan peppercorn (not recommended during pregnancy)

Suggested Dipping Ingredients

  • ▪ thinly sliced meat of your liking
  • ▪ large shrimp, sliced fish filet, or squid
  • ▪ a variety of mushrooms, bok choy, savoy or napa cabbage, (sweet) potatoes, mung bean sprouts, cauliflower and broccoli florets

Suggested Sides

  • ▪ cilantro, green onions, watercress, radish
  • ▪ dipping sauces (see notes)

Instructions
 

  • In a medium POT, heat 1/4 cup of oil.
  • Fry onions over medium-low heat until translucent.
  • Add garlic and ginger.
  • Fry for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
  • Add tomato paste, 1 tbsp sugar, and Hotpot spices.
  • Stir-fry for 5 minutes.
  • Add broth, and salt and sugar to taste.
  • Mix well. Bring to a boil. Turn off.

Serve

  • Place POT on a small stove in the center of the dining table. Keep the soup gently boiling.
  • Place your choice of dipping ingredients, dipping sauces, and sides on separate plates around it.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

Variations
  • Add chili peppers to taste to half of or all of the pot.
  • Substitute tomato paste with 1 cup of beer.
Alternative Dishes
Use the Hotpot spices for one of these recipes:
▪ Sichuan beef (Use all of the Hotpot spices per recipe.)
▪ Dublin spice bag (Use all of the Hotpot spices per recipe and add chili powder to taste.)
▪ Taiwanese ló͘-bah-png (Use about 1 tbsp of the Hotpot spices per recipe.)
Basic Dipping Sauces
  • Mix 1 tbsp each of soy sauce or tamari, rice or apple cider vinegar, and water. Optionally, add to taste green onions, cilantro, ginger, garlic, chilis (all finely chopped), or make several sauces with different combinations.
  • Mix 1/2 cup each of tahini, soy sauce or tamari, and rice or apple cider vinegar. Add 1-2 cups of water to taste. Optionally, add sugar, mustard, and/or sesame seeds to taste.
  • Mix 1/4 cup each of minced garlic, lemon juice, and vegetable oil. Add salt to taste.
SpiceBreeze
SpiceBreeze
4 Google reviews
Write a review
Marceline Reid-Jaques
Marceline Reid-Jaques
2022-12-14
Karen Jones
Karen Jones
2022-12-05
Wonderful, flavorful meals using readily available ingredients!
ann davis
ann davis
2022-11-29
My daughter gave me a subscription as a Christmas present while our families were quarantining together. It was so much fun! It introduced us to several cuisines that were totally new to us. The recipes were easy to follow and the spices were transformative - fresh and pungent and delicious.
Jessica Brown
Jessica Brown
2022-05-22
The best way to try new dishes!

Enter the Culinary World

Be Inspired | Explore your boundaries and creativity

Join Now
Explore
7
Feb, 2020
Brazilian Vatapá

Brazilian Vatapá

NOW! Save 10% on any subscription with code JOIN10.
Brazilian Vatapá

Brazilian Vatapá

SpiceBreeze
Get right into the center of the Brazilian carnival with this popular street food, Vatapá. Original from Africa, it is known as a specialty from the region of Bahia and spread throughout Brazil. This recipe with a modern twist comes directly from Brazil. Ground annatto seeds add a warm, earthy flavor and natural red color. Though shrimp is a typical ingredient, Vatapá is just as popular without it.
Share Pin Print
Hands-on Time 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Brazilian
Servings 3

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb raw shrimp cleaned
  • 1 cup coconut milk shake can well
  • 2 tomatoes diced
  • 4 cups cooked rice
  • up to 1 cup broth fish recommended
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic grated
  • 2 slices sandwich bread crust removed
  • salt
  • oil

Vatapá Culinary Spice Kit

  • Annatto, turmeric, ginger, cumin, white pepper, bay leaves

Optional

  • 1-2 tbsp peanuts ground
  • 1 tbsp fresh cilantro chopped
  • 1 lime for juice
  • 8 oz watercress

Instructions
 

Prepare

  • Cut the bread into small pieces.
  • In a BOWL, add the bread and the coconut milk.
  • Let it soak for 15 minutes.
  • Mash it with a fork.

Cook

  • In a PAN, heat 2 tbsp oil over high heat.
  • Fry the shrimp until brown on all sides.
  • Take them out and set them aside.
  • Fry the onions over medium heat until translucent.
  • Add garlic, tomatoes, and Vatapá spices.
  • Stir fry for about 2 minutes.
  • Add the coconut milk with the bread, salt to taste, and optionally peanuts.
  • Cook about 15 minutes over medium-low heat to get a thick creamy sauce. Add some broth if necessary.
  • Return the shrimp to reheat.
  • Optionally, add cilantro and lime juice to taste.

Serve

  • Serve with rice and optionally watercress or a fresh salad of your choice.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

  • Substitute the shrimp with fish filet (e.g. cod or snapper), cut into 1-inch pieces, or chicken breast or thighs, cut into 1/2-inch strips. Return them with the coconut milk.
  • Omit or substitute the shrimp with garbanzo beans.
  • Add 1-2 jalapeno pepper and/or 4 small sweet peppers to the onions, cut into thin slices.
SpiceBreeze
SpiceBreeze
4 Google reviews
Write a review
Marceline Reid-Jaques
Marceline Reid-Jaques
2022-12-14
Karen Jones
Karen Jones
2022-12-05
Wonderful, flavorful meals using readily available ingredients!
ann davis
ann davis
2022-11-29
My daughter gave me a subscription as a Christmas present while our families were quarantining together. It was so much fun! It introduced us to several cuisines that were totally new to us. The recipes were easy to follow and the spices were transformative - fresh and pungent and delicious.
Jessica Brown
Jessica Brown
2022-05-22
The best way to try new dishes!

Enter the Culinary World

Be Inspired | Explore your boundaries and creativity

Join Now
Explore
6
Feb, 2019
Persian Fesenjan

Persian Khoresh Fesenjan

Fesenjan

Persian Fesenjan

Khoresh Fesenjan is one of the best dishes of the Persian cuisine and part of the dinner table on Shabe Yalda when families come together to celebrate the longest night of the year and the beginning of the winter. Walnuts and pomegranates give this stew its characteristic flavor: creamy richness with a tangy flavor and a hint of sweetness. 

Patience is Key

The shopping list is short and the cooking steps are simple. It can be cooked fast. Though, the heavenly taste sensation develops only with patience.

Pomegranate Molasses DIY

Pomegranate molasses is easy to make at home from store bought pomegranate juice:

Cook 4 cups of pomegranate juice (100%) with 2 tbsp sugar over low heat for about 2 hours until it reduces to 1 cup of thick syrup. Stir frequently.

For a change, you can substitute pomegranate juice with cranberry juice.

Variations
  • Substitute chicken with duck, beef meatballs,
    leftover turkey, or lamb stew.
  • Omit chicken and pour sauce over fried eggplants or
    baked root vegetables
The Fesenjan Culinary Spice Kit includes the following spices:

Turmeric, cinnamon, orange peel, cardamom, rosebud

Discover New Flavors Every Month
Pomegranate
Persian Fesenjan

Persian Khoresh Fesenjan

SpiceBreeze
Khoresh Fesenjan is one of the best dishes of the Persian cuisine and part of the dinner table on Shabe Yalda when families come together to celebrate the longest night of the year and the beginning of the winter. Walnuts and pomegranates give this stew its characteristic flavor: creamy richness with a tangy note and a hint of sweetness. The shopping list is short, and the cooking steps are simple. Yet, the heavenly taste sensation develops only with patience.
Share Print
Hands-on Time 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Persian
Servings 3

Ingredients
  

  • 1.5 lbs chicken breast or thighs cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 4 cups walnut halves
  • 1 large onion chopped
  • 1/2-1 cup pomegranate molasses*)
  • sugar honey, or syrup
  • oil
  • salt & pepper

Fesenjan Culinary Spice Kit

  • Turmeric cinnamon, orange peel, cardamom, rosebud

Suggested Sides

  • 4-6 cups basmati rice cooked
  • 1 cup fresh herbs chopped
  • cucumber, tomatoes, red radish sliced

Instructions
 

Chicken

  • Rub chicken on all sides with salt & pepper to taste and with Fesenjan spices.
  • In a PAN, heat 2 tbsp of oil over medium heat.
  • Fry onions for 5 minutes.
  • Add chicken pieces and fry them on all sides until they turn brown. Set them aside.

Sauce

  • 1) In a BLENDER, grind nuts.
  • In a large POT, add 3 cups of water and ground nuts. Mix well.
  • Cover. Bring to a boil. Cook over medium-low heat for 30 minutes. Stir frequently.
  • Stir in salt and pomegranate molasses to taste. The flavor should be a bit tangy and a bit sweet. If the sauce appears sour, add a bit of sugar until it's just fine for you.
  • Add the chicken and onions.
  • Cover. Cook over medium-low heat for 30 minutes. Stir frequently.
  • Serve Fesenjan with rice and optionally fresh herbs and/ or unseasoned vegetables.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

*) If you can’t buy pomegranate molasses substitute with cranberry sauce or make your own molasses with our online recipe.
  • Substitute chicken with lamb stew (cook 1.5 hours longer and add 1-2 cups of water), beef meatballs, duck breast, or leftover turkey.
  • Substitute the chicken with eggplants or root vegetables.
  • Substitute the walnuts with hazelnuts or almonds.

@ COPYRIGHT 2016-2023 SpiceBreeze - LUMIAD Inc.