So what exactly is hotpot red, what are its hazards, and how should hotpot base be made? Below, we explain what hotpot red is, its potential dangers, and proper hotpot base preparation methods.
The Hazards of Hotpot Red and Hotpot Base Preparation Methods
I. What is Hotpot Red and What Hazards Does It Pose?
Hotpot red is a viscous, oily liquid exhibiting a dark brown hue with a bright red sheen on its surface. It strongly adheres to glassware walls yet possesses a very faint odor.Hotpot Red is produced using natural chili peppers through CO2 supercritical extraction, resulting in a vivid red color without heat and high heat resistance. It can make a hotpot broth appear fiery red with minimal chili oil added.
1. Uses of Hotpot Red
Illegal businesses use it to enhance the color of red broth hotpots, salad dressings, hotpot bases, and spicy foods.
2. Application Method
Add 2 drops of Hot Pot Red to 200ml of water in a beaker. After gentle stirring, the Hot Pot Red floats on the water surface, gradually dispersing into numerous red specks, some adhering to the beaker walls. With slight agitation, the water rapidly turns a translucent light red.
3. Hazards of Hotpot Red
Food safety scandals repeatedly test the public's tolerance, revealing that there is no such thing as the most toxic food—only more toxic ones; nor the worst merchants—only more unscrupulous ones. Simultaneously, these merchants and their adulterated products have inadvertently popularized chemical knowledge—melamine, Sudan Red, Hotpot Red...These new terms have entered ordinary households, and even the illiterate understand the properties of these chemicals.
Hotpot Red can make a spicy pot appear red without adding much chili oil. It is a harmful food additive. These chemicals are detrimental to health and may cause cancer in severe cases.
4. Identifying Hotpot Red
Observe the spicy broth base served in hotpot restaurants.If the chili oil appears bright red and translucent, the broth likely contains hidden issues. Normally, properly simmered spicy broth should have a slightly cloudy appearance. A clear, translucent broth clearly indicates the addition of chili essence or Hotpot Red. II. Stir-Frying Hotpot Base
500g vegetable oil, 300g beef tallow, 300g Pixian chili bean paste, 350g dried chili peppers, 20g ginger, 40g garlic, 60g scallions, 30g rock sugar, 100g fermented rice wine, 20g star anise, 10g Szechuan peppercorns, 10g cassia bark, 10g fennel seeds,5g cardamom, 5g lithospermum root, 2g bay leaves, 2g vanilla pods, 1g cloves
Method:
1. Heat vegetable oil until smoking; cut butter into small cubes; finely chop Pixian chili bean paste; blanch dried chili peppers in boiling water for 2 minutes, then grind into a paste (sticky chili paste);Smash ginger; peel garlic and separate into cloves; tie scallions into knots; crush rock sugar; break star anise, galangal, and cinnamon into small pieces; smash cardamom pods.
2. Place wok over medium heat. After heating the wok, add vegetable oil and heat until hot. Add butter and melt. Add ginger, garlic cloves, and scallion knots to stir-fry until fragrant.Then add Pixian chili bean paste and chili paste, reduce heat to low, and stir-fry slowly for about 1 to 1.5 hours until the bean paste is dry, fragrant, and the chili paste turns slightly white. Remove the scallion knots from the wok.
3. Immediately add star anise, Szechuan pepper, cinnamon, fennel seeds,cardamom, lithospermum root, bay leaves, lemongrass, and cloves. Continue stir-frying over low heat for 15–20 minutes until the spices deepen in color. Add rock sugar and fermented rice wine, then simmer gently until all liquid evaporates. Remove from heat, cover, and let cool completely to complete the hot pot base.
III. Precautions for Stir-Frying Hot Pot Base
1. Adding spices to the hot pot base enhances aroma. Lithospermum root is included for its red color, but spice quantities must not be excessive, as this may produce bitterness. Additionally, limit the variety of spices used. Focus on common spices like star anise, galangal, cinnamon, and fennel seeds, supplemented by small amounts of other spices.Note: The quantity of spices used in hot pot base is typically less than that used in preparing braising liquids.