Hot pot and spicy hot pot are very good. It refers to several East Asian varieties of stew, consisting of a simmering metal pot of stock at the center of the dining table. While the hot pot is kept simmering, ingredients are placed into the pot and are cooked at the table. Typical hot pot dishes
include thinly sliced meat, leafy vegetables, mushrooms, wontons, egg dumplings, and seafood. The cooked food is usually eaten with a dipping sauce. In many areas, hot pot meals are often eaten in the winter.

Basic stock is often made using:
Water, salt and soup base.

Meats vary, and can include:
Thinly sliced beef, pork, chicken, lamb, goat, fish, prawns, clams, mussels, beef balls, fish balls, squid, octopus and much more.

Vegetables include (and not limited to):
Bok choy, choy sum, napa cabbage, spinach, daikon, varieties of mushrooms: straw mushroom, enoki mushrooms, Shiitake, Chinese black mushrooms,
golden mushrooms, tofu, tomato and much more.
 
Condiments:
Soy sauce, vinegar (white or black), Cilantro (or xiāng cài), garlic, scallion, sesame oil, sa cha sauce, chili, raw egg and much more.

One of the most famous variations is the Sichuan or Szechuan "má là" (Chinese: 麻辣 — "numb and spicy") hot pot, to which a special spice known as huā jiāo (Chinese: 花椒 — "flower pepper" or Sichuan Pepper) is added. It creates a sensation on the tongue that is both spicy and burns and numbs slightly, almost like carbonated beverages. It was usual to use a variety of different meats as well as sliced mutton fillet. A Sichuan hotpot is markedly different from the types eaten in other parts of China. Quite often the differences lie in the meats used, the type of soup base, and the sauces and condiments used to flavor the meat.