Hot Pot Nights At Home: 3 Must Have Dipping Sauces

Hotpot Season is FINALLY here, and nothing is more important than having a fantastic dipping sauce to level up your hotpot game at home. Here’s how I get set up for hot pot night with THREE of my favorite hotpot dipping sauces that you need to try. Each dipping sauce is unique and can transform your hotpot experience. Or, set up your own Hot Pot Sauce Bar at home and let your guests get creative! Which one is your favorite: Creamy Garlic Sesame Paste, Spicy Garlic Hot Sauce, or the classic Taiwanese Shacha dipping sauce? 

How To Set Up Your Own Hot Pot Night

I love nothing more than having Hot Pot at home with friends and family, which is why Hotpot Dipping Sauces are so important!

If you have never tried Hot Pot before, think of it as“Asian Fondue” but with broth instead. The ingredients are set up around a big pot of boiling broth. Everyone cooks their own food in the simmering broth, and enjoys it with their own dipping sauce.

Hot Pot Broths

There are many different versions of hotpot broths. My personal favorite is using the duo Hotpot and having the best of both worlds: one mala spicy and one Chinese herbal soup. Here are my favorite hotpot soup base options that I highly recommend! 

• Haidilao Hot Pot, Spicy Sauce, Sichuan spicy hot pot
• Haidilao Mushroom Herbal Soup
• Little Sheep Hotpot Soup Base 5 Flavor Variety Pack (Plain, Hot, Mala Spicy, Mushroom, Tomato)

Ingredients To Prepare for Hot Pot

The best part about Hotpot is that all the guests get to personalize their meal. As a host, you prepare ingredients such as meats (thinly sliced chicken, pork, beef, or lamb), fish balls, seafood (shrimp, crab, clams), vegetables (napa cabbage, enoki mushrooms, lotus roots), noodles (vermicelli, udon, instant noodles), tofu options.

The choices are endless. While the broth provides a lot of flavourful, what completes the dish is the hotpot dipping sauces. 

Setting Up Your Own Hot Pot Dipping Sauce Bar

Host a Hot Pot potluck this holiday season and make a DIY Hotpot Dipping Sauces station for your guests. All you have to do is prepare some of the most common ingredients, such as garlic, cilantro, green onion, and red chili. I love that even though most dipping sauces use similar ingredients, they can completely transform and personalize the sauce depending on how they like it. 

DIPPING SAUCE STATION STAPLES 

My 3 Must Have Hot Pot Sauces

Spicy Garlic Hot Sauce 

• 1 tbsp of Minced Garlic
• 1/2 – 1 tbsp of Red Chili (chopped) 
• 1 tbsp of Green Onion
• 1/3 tsp of Korean Red Chili Flakes 
• 1/4 tsp of grounded Sichuan Pepper 
• 0.5 tbsp of Sesame Seeds 
• 2 tbsp of Hot Oil 
• 1.5 tbsp of Black Vinegar 
• 1.5 tbsp of Oyster Sauce 
• Cilantro 

Creamy Garlic Sesame Sauce

• 1.5 tbsp of Sesame Paste 
• 1 tsp of Dashi Powder 
• 2 tbsp of Hot Water 
• 2.5 Tbsp of Black Vinegar 
• 1 tbsp of Minced Garlic 
• Sesame Seeds 
• Crushed Peanuts 
• Cilantro 

Taiwanese Sacha Sauce 

• 1 tbsp of Minced Garlic 
• 1 tsp of Chopped Red Chili (optional) 
• 2-3 tbsp of Green Onion (chopped) 
• 1.5 tbsp of Taiwanese Sacha Sauce 
• 2 tbsp of Black Vinegar 

Hot Pot Recipes To Enjoy with These Yummy Sauces