7 Best Chinese Hot Pot Base: Taste Reviews
Table of Contents
Why we like Chinese hot pot
Chinese food is loved all over the world because of various reasons. We should note that Chinese food is much more than your favorite takeaway. Chinese people love to make their food from scratch and generally, they are great at preparing noodle-based dishes. It tastes delicious and you will find different recipes according to the regions and also at people’s home. People may think that it is very easy to make something like a noodle soup but the reality is far from it.
Making a hot pot takes your true dedication as you need to follow every step carefully to reach the perfect taste. Hot pot has healing properties and often Chinese people will serve it to someone who is sick. To make a hot pot easier, these days they have readymade hot pot soup bases. They come in a variety of flavor which can enhance the hot pot that someone is making. Here we will provide a taste test of some well-known Chinese Hot Pot Bases that are available in the market.
1. Little Sheep Hot Pot Soup Base (Hot)
If you are someone who prefers their hot pot soup to be spicy, then this one is the base that you should choose. It has the perfect amount of spiciness to it that people like along with very simple flavors. You get to feel that numbing sensation in your mouth because of the authentic Chinese peppers. The spice has been added through Sichuan peppercorns and you will get to know it as soon as you taste. The thing that is great about the taste of this base is that the company has added no other contrasting flavors which will put you off from enjoying the spice.
Why we love it
The key to making a good hot pot is to keep everything simple. Nothing should overpower and everything should be cohesive. While we tasted this hot pot base, we felt that as it is spicy and tastes authentic. It uses good ingredients and doesn’t overpower you in an off-putting way. It is simple to make a hot pot with the base. Following the instructions give you something that is authentic to the flavor you get at the restaurant.
Pros:
- Spicy
- Contains Sichuan peppercorns
- Authentic flavor
- Easy to prepare
2. Haidilao Hot Pot Spicy Sauce
As you put the soup made using this spicy sauce, you will the kick immediately. The kick is produced from high-quality Sichuan peppercorns. It is a fun experience to have the numbing sensation on your tongue when you have tasted this. Apart from the apparent spiciness you also get to taste the intricate flavors that have been put into this base. One thing that is great about this soup base is that it doesn’t overpower you on salt. The soup that comes out from this base will taste ‘expensive’ and ‘exotic’ to your tongue.
Why we love it
This hot pot base is good as it can balance between the spiciness and the flavors, both of which are needed while making a hotpot. While using this base one wouldn’t need to think about the various ways in which they can enhance the flavors. The company is known for making authentic Chinese bases and sauces and you will get that feeling when you are using this base as well.
Pros:
- Great Spiciness
- Flavourful
- Rich aroma
- Good salt levels
3. Little Sheep Hot Pot Soup Base (Plain)
Little Sheep is a well-known brand which makes the Chinese readymade soup bases and sauces. It is mild on spiciness. It doesn’t have a tonne of flavor but it definitely works to enhance the flavors of the meat and vegetables that are added to the hot pot. The flavor is quite ‘soothing’ to your tongue and you will at home when you taste the soup. We do have to say that the soup comes out a little salty.
Why we love it
Little Sheep has been in the market for a long time and they know the right way to make a hot pot soup base. They aren’t going for something which is too spicy and heavy on flavors. It doesn’t contain many ingredients. So, the soup that you get is plain, which is perfect for people who are looking for a good soup base for their hot pot. If you want more flavors, do add ginger and garlic while you are preparing your hot pot.
Pros:
- Simple flavors
- Tastes good
- Quality ingredients
- Vegetarian
Cons:
- Somewhat expensive
- Salty
4. Lee Kum Kee Soup Base for Sichuan Hot & Spicy Hot Pot
This is the first soup base that we love. Chinese love their spicy food and Sichuan peppers are known to be one of their favorites. The main thing that you will get out of this base is definitely the authentic ‘spicy’ flavor which goes well with hot pots. You will get the kick from the pepper once you have drunk the soup. It is definitely made for those people who have tolerance of high spice level. In one word we can describe it as ‘delicious’.
Why we love it
This is a good hot pot base as it has the flavors which are authentic to Chinese cooking. You will feel that real Sichuan peppers are present in this packet of base and they haven’t adulterated it. They have also restrained from adding too many additives in it. If you have a look at the ingredients, most of them are regularly used in Chinese cooking, especially in hot pots.
Pros:
- Great Spicy Taste
- Made from great ingredients
- Affordable
- Authentic tasting
Cons:
- Can be too spicy for some people
5. Lee Kum Kee Soup Base for Satay Hot Pot
When you will get a whiff of this soup base, you will know instantly that it is overwhelmingly ‘flavourful’. Which, in this case, is a good thing as this soup base is meant for making Satay Hot Pot. Everyone doesn’t enjoy the spiciness present in other hot pot bases, but this one has got you covered. It has hints of peanut in it which come to you as you taste the soup. The peanuts are ingredients that provide this soup base with its typical satay flavor. This is definitely a product for people who cannot tolerate spiciness in their hot pot.
Why we love it
Yet again, this is a product from Lee Kum Kee. The subtle flavorings present in this hot pot base will make your dish successful. One of the key things about the base is that it doesn’t have an overpowering saltiness in it. Also, the ingredients that have been used are typical to a hot pot and there wouldn’t be any funny flavors in your dish. While making the hot pot with this base one needs to add a lot of meat to get its true flavor.
Pros:
- Mild on Spiciness
- Great Flavour
- Affordable option
- Good Ingredients
Cons:
- Not for vegetarians
- Not for people with peanut allergies
6. Quoc Viet Foods Thai Tom Yum Flavored Soup Base
The thing that you will feel while having this soup is that it isn’t really ‘Chinese’ in nature. Rather than that, you will feel it leaning towards Thai flavors due to the base. But keeping it aside, this base is much more flavourful because of the various ingredients present in it. You can smell the distinct components that have gone into making the base. The base is perfect for those people who will choose flavors over spiciness. You can taste the lemongrass and the Kefir lime oil as the endnotes to the soup.
Why we love it
This is a good hot pot base as it is flavourful in nature. Often there are people who do not like the overpowering spiciness that is present in Chinese soup bases. But this soup base wouldn’t do that to you. Along with that, it has some of the best spices that one can think of while making the soup. The hot pot comes out more intricate when such a base is used along with it.
Pros:
- Intricate taste
- Quality ingredients
- Flavourful
- Perfect for Thai soups
Cons:
- High sodium content
7. Lao Gan Ma (Laoganma) Hot Pot Spice Soup Base
The thing about this hot pot base is that it is ‘rich’ and ‘spicy’. It is the authentic hot pot soup base that takes it spice seriously. The recipe for making this soup base is authentic and you will know this when the soup first hits you with all the different flavors. We may call it ‘strong’ due to the kick provided by the soup. We need to say that the soup turns out quite salty if you follow the instructions. The base adequately adds flavor to vegetables as well as to meat. Another thing about the taste is that you will feel the soybean oil when you are having the soup.
Why we love it
This is a good hot pot base as the recipe is authentic in nature. Along with that this soup base is perfect for those people who like their hot pot to be spicy as well as salty. It is definitely not for the faint-hearted. There is a history attached to this company and they portray their love by providing us with this amazing soup bases. The ingredients are good and nothing extra is added to it in the form of preservation. People who like their soup less salty may water the base down or use only half of it.
Pros:
- Great spicy taste
- Authentic and quality ingredients
- Goes well with meat and vegetables
Cons:
- High Sodium Content
- Too many calories
Conclusion
The 7 of the hot pot bases that we have mentioned over here are the ones that dominate the market. People have different tastes but they often find that using these products are much better than starting right from scratch. Also, the products that we have mentioned have higher quality than some generic bases that you may find in the market.
We have kept a mix of spicy, mild and flavourful bases as taste generally differ according to people.
The Little Sheep Hot Pot Soup Base (Plain) is perfect for those people who are searching for a mild and the simple hot pot soup base, whereas its Spicy version adds the spiciness of Sichuan pepper while keeping the flavor simple.
The Lee Kum Kee Soup Base for Sichuan Hot & Spicy Hot Pot and Lao Gan Ma (Laoganma) Hot Pot Spice Soup Base is for people who dig the hot and spicy hot pots until their tongue goes numb, these bases are also quite flavourful in nature.
Lee Kum Kee Soup Base for authentic Satay Hot Pot and Quoc Viet Foods Thai Tom Yum Flavored Soup Base are hot pot soup bases that deviate from the ‘authentic Chinese flavor’, the former one provides a Satay flavor whereas the latter one provides the flavor of Thai soup.
Among these, the Haidilao Hot Pot Spicy Sauce is not only rich in its ingredients, but it is also able to provide a balance between the flavors and the spiciness which provides an ‘exotic’ taste.
Do try to use them for making some best hot pot that you can have in your life. They will be much less expensive than the restaurant and you can even arrange a party for your friends.
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