Mala Spicy Hotpot Broth

Add dried chillies to a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then boil for 5 minutes until softened. Drain the chillies and blend to a smooth paste.

Add all spices to a small bowl, then pour in Chinese cooking wine. Mix well and leave to soak. This helps extract flavor from the spices and makes them less likely to burn in the hot oil.

Add Sichuan peppercorns to a small bowl, then pour in Chinese cooking wine. Mix well and leave to soak. The peppercorns are separated from the other spices because they'll be added at a different time.

Cut the ginger into thick slices and the spring onion into short lengths. Leave the garlic cloves whole.

Heat oil in a pot over medium heat and add the garlic, ginger and spring onion. sauté the aromatics until fragrant, then remove them from the pot.

Cook until the spring onions almost turn black, about 15 minutes, then remove all the aromatics and discard, leaving just the oil in the pot.

Lower the heat to medium-low and add the blended chilli paste from earlier to the pot. Cook, stirring often, until the oil turns red and the chillies are fragrant, about 10 minutes.

Add in the soaked spices and continue to cook until aromatic, about 5 minutes, then add the doubanjuang and fermented black beans and cook for another 5 minutes. Finally, add the soaked Sichuan peppercorns along with sugar and salt and cook for a final 5 minutes, stirring often.

Allow the spicy oil to cool. It can be used straight away, or stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Add the spicy oil to a large pot and add water or stock if you prefer. Bring to a boil and it's ready to be used for hotpot.