Ostensibly, the dish's arid name comes from an unspoken comparison to its culinary cousin, another Chinese classic: hot pot ... spicy side, predominantly featuring fermented soybeans and tingly ...

Just a few days after the Chinese New Year, good fortune has blessed the Ortigas area as Haidilao, the world’s no.1 hot pot ...

For the spicy soup base, heat a 2 litre/3½ pint capacity wok until smoking and add the groundnut oil. Add the chillies and Sichuan peppercorns and stir fry for a few seconds, or until fragrant.