Ramp up the spice with a Chongqing chicken pot
A chicken pot craze is simmering away in the city, with a host of restaurants putting their twist on the fiery recipe, writes Janice Leung Hayes
you won't find this so-called Chongqing chicken pot that everyone in Hong Kong is eating now," says Sam Wong, a partner in the 66 Hotpot restaurant chain, which specialises in the spicy dish.
Restaurants offering have been popping up all over the city recently. Translating literally as "chicken pot", it's the hottest ticket on hot pot menus this winter.
The term usually denotes a spicy, heavily flavoured chicken dish often cooked with copious amounts of onion, shallots, garlic, chilli and other spices, topped with fresh herbs such as coriander, served in a thick, pre-heated stone or cast iron pot, in which the food sizzles as the dish is being served.
The herbs are tossed in tableside so they wilt with the heat of the pot and emit an irresistible fragrance. Once diners have finished eating the chicken, a popular option is to order soup to deglaze the pot. This becomes a rich, flavoursome base for regular hot pot.
Wong says that at his restaurants it's not just about chillies and peppers; the dish includes more than a dozen spices, such as cinnamon and cardamom, as well as lemongrass and peanut sauce.
"The chef who developed the recipe was trained in Western cuisine rather than Chinese, but he has the Hong Kong palate in mind. It balances sweetness, saltiness, numbing spices and heat. We customise the level of spiciness so everyone can enjoy the dish. Although we aren't able to make it completely non-spicy," he says.
