Tastes of the sea

Dipping sauces that go with Danjia hotpot. [Photo by Yang Feiyue/China Daily]

The first course, Danjia hotpot, is an eye opener with 24 dipping sauces, from the basic necessities－sesame oil and paste, soy sauce, fresh and spicy red chilies and ground peanuts－to some less-common options, such as a sliced-open small green orange and sauce made of shredded, fried fish.

The course for two costs 298 yuan ($46) and features red-yellow hotpot broth and eight ingredients: green-shell mussels, shrimp, meatballs, beef, enoki mushrooms and local vegetables.

Clams, shrimp and pork are stewed together for three hours over carefully controlled heat to create the well-balanced rich taste and the color of the soup.

Shrimp is added to the traditional recipe to enhance the taste, Huang says.

It's tradition to first sip the broth, which has a silky texture and a bit of seafood sweetness, and then put in the shellfish to enrich the soup for other nibbles to be dipped later.

The deep-sea shrimp has a firm texture and a very pleasant sweetness. It doesn't require the complement of any dipping sauce, which could overwhelm the original taste.

The meatballs are made of fresh pork, hammered by hand, and the addition of winter-mushroom chunks, coriander and dried shrimp give them a great flavor.