Cantonese hot pot with beef tongue and seafood

1. Prepare the broth by dividing a large split hot pot pot into three sections: fill one with homemade or store-bought bone broth, one with mala spicy broth, and one with a sour pickled mustard green (suan cai) broth. Bring all sections to a gentle boil.
2. Thinly slice the beef tongue (ideally partially frozen for easier slicing) and arrange on a plate alongside any seafood ingredients.
3. Wash and prep all vegetables: separate bok choy leaves, tear napa cabbage into large pieces, slice carrots and lotus root, and trim mushrooms. Arrange on serving plates.
4. Prepare dipping sauces: mix sesame paste with a little broth, garlic, and soy sauce in one bowl; combine soy sauce, chili oil, and spring onions in another.
5. Once the broths are simmering, begin adding heartier ingredients like carrots, lotus root, and tofu first, as these take longer to cook (5–8 minutes).
6. Cook delicate items like beef tongue slices, seafood, and leafy greens directly in the broth for 30–90 seconds until just cooked through.
7. Skim the broth surface regularly with a ladle to remove foam and keep the soup clear and clean-tasting.
8. Serve each cooked ingredient immediately with your choice of dipping sauce and steamed rice or noodles on the side.

Tip: For the richest bone broth base, simmer pork or chicken bones with ginger and Shaoxing wine for at least 2 hours beforehand — this forms the soul of a great Cantonese hot pot and balances the intensity of the mala broth.