A fuzzy, black-brown root-like spice commonly used in spicy hot pot soups or marinades is called vanilla by the people of Chengdu, and Xiang Woad by the people of Chongqing, but it should actually be called Gan Woad, or Gan Woad Fragrance. With a pungent, almost strong turpentine-like odor and the ability to regulate qi and relieve pain, open up depression and awaken the spleen, Isao is used as a traditional Chinese medicine for treating chest and abdominal distension, stomach pain and vomiting, loss of appetite, and dyspepsia. Add this spice to spicy hot pot soup or marinade for a strong flavor. But pay attention to the amount of grasp, a dosage should not exceed 5 grams, otherwise the aroma "greasy".

02 Clove

Also known as male cloves, sub cloves, for the flower buds of cloves, cooking is commonly used in the dry product, strong flavor, taste of the tongue, numb tongue feeling, its nature of the pungent and warm, warm stomach, hiccups, wind, analgesic effect. The dosage in cooking should be within 1 to 2 grams, never more.

03 anise

Should be called aniseed, also known as fennel, dashi, August beads, which is more familiar to people as a spice. It is characterized by an aromatic smell and a slightly sweet taste. Its flavor is pungent, warm, have a warm stomach, dispel cold hernia effect. In cooking, whether hot pot, braised, brine can be used. Because of its flavor is someone like someone annoyed, it is more flexible in the use of 5 to 10 grams is appropriate.

04 cumin

Also known as fennel, fragrant silk cabbage, Huai Xiang, wild fennel. Cultivated in most areas of the country and familiar to people, its fresh stems and leaves are commonly used in cooking to make fennel beans, fennel stuffed dumplings and so on. The ripe fruits resemble small grains of rice or cumin, and have a peculiar aroma. Used as a spice, it is widely used in braised, marinated and spicy hot pots. The dosage can be appropriately increased in hot pot, such as 10 to 20 grams or a little more. In medicinal use, it is pungent and warm in nature, and has the effect of moving qi, relieving pain, strengthening the stomach and dispersing cold.

05 Cao Guo

A kind of fruit of Cao Guo, a ginger plant, tastes strange and bad. Its medicinal properties of warm, pungent flavor, dry dampness and strengthen the spleen, expectoration of phlegm to warm the middle, and expel cold anti-malarial effect. Cooking can be broken or whole grain use, as a spice and beef with burning or with brine, its flavor is particularly good. Grass berries in spicy hot pot and brine should not be used more, put 3 to 5 more appropriate.

06 sand nuts

Also known as spring sand nuts, Yangchun sand nuts, the mature fruit of the plant Yangchun sand, taste astringent, smell fragrant, warm, pungent. It is warm and pungent in nature. It has the function of promoting qi and relaxing the middle, strengthening the stomach and eliminating food, and is used medicinally for stomach and abdominal distension, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, intestinal inflammation, dysentery, and fetal restlessness. Used in hot pot and brine dishes should not be too much, to 3 grams or less.

07 Sannai

Some places also called sand ginger, mountain spicy, for the rhizome. Grocery stores and Chinese medicine stores sell dried slices of it, and its flavor is aromatic. Warm and pungent in nature, it can warm the middle and remove dampness, move qi and relieve pain, and treat acute gastroenteritis, dyspepsia, abdominal pain and diarrhea, stomach cold pain, toothache, rheumatic arthritis, bruises and so on. In cooking, it is mostly used in burning, brining, spicy hot pot, and the dosage is mostly between 5 and 10 grams. Guangdong people use ginger to make salt chicken. In recent years, Sichuan Jianghu cuisine in the production of "Sannai dishes", that is to say, the main ingredients plus a large number of Sannai and dried red chili peppers, dried peppercorns and cooking. This dish because of its flavor fragrance peculiar, it is praised, but has not been reported.

08 Lingcao

A spice widely used in hot pots in recent years. Because the market are sold in dried form, so it is not easy to recognize. After I asked for advice, the dried product to the University of Xu Jiangpu Associate Professor verification: should be called Ling Xiangcao, also known as zero Ling Xiang, for the primrose family pearlwort plants. Is a perennial herb, has a strong aroma, taste sweet and flat. Used in spicy hot pot, the general dosage of no more than 5 grams. There is another spirit herb on the market, the name of basil, can replace the above one, but belongs to the family of Labiatae, also known as zero Ling Xiang, also known as nine layers of pagoda, vanilla, fragrant pellitory, duck's head, bird's head grass, etc., and its sexual flavor is pungent and warm. In terms of medicinal use, its flavor is pungent and warm, and it has the effect of curing wind-cold, cold and headache.

09Pai Cao

Like Ling Cao, it is also a spice commonly used in spicy hot pot in recent years. A few days ago, I asked Prof. Xiong Sizhi to help find relevant information, and soon got the results: Pai Cao, also known as Pai Xiang, fragrant Pai Cao, fragrant sheep, hairy stalked pearls, also belongs to the primrose family of plants, and its taste is sweet and flat. With the treatment of colds, coughs, rheumatism, menstrual disorders and other effects. In the spicy hot pot in the dosage should not be too much, 3 to 5 grams can be, can also be used in the brine.

Some people say that in the spicy hot pot and brine, "the spirit of grass to increase the aroma, rows of grass antiseptic", in fact, many spices have different degrees of pungent flavor seasoning antibacterial and antiseptic effect.

10 cardamom

Also known as round cardamom, the market or drugstore has written for the hundred kow, kowren. Mouth taste of the astringent flavor, because of its medicinal flavor of pungent and warm, so it has the role of the qi and qi, warming the stomach to eliminate food, dampness to stop vomiting, and detoxification of alcohol. Add 3 to 5 grams in spicy hot pot. Because of its good flavor, so the dosage is small.

11 Nutmeg

Alias jade fruit. In recent years, it is very common to use in hot pot, but the taste is not good, its medicinal flavor is pungent and warm, with warming the spleen and stomach, astringent intestines, the role of the gas. This thing should not be used more, 2-3 can be.

12 cinnamon

Also known as cinnamon. Pungent, sweet and hot in nature, it has the effect of tonifying yuanyang, warming the spleen and stomach, removing the accumulation of cold, and clearing the blood. The main treatment for kidney yang deficiency and decline, cold pain in the heart and abdomen, prolonged diarrhea. It is oily and has a strong flavor. The taste is pungent and spicy with a slightly sweet aftertaste. In the spicy hot pot and brine in the use of very common, the amount of 5 to 10 grams is appropriate. Cinnamon is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine, but also a commonly used meat food spices, its nature of warm, so it is only appropriate to use sparingly and not more. Chinese medicine believes that cinnamon is hot and pungent, the herb has a "small poison" record, the amount should not be too large.

The title "cardamom" of the name of the seasoning has three kinds. Cardamom and nutmeg are indigenous, respectively, two ginger plant seeds, but nutmeg is an imported product, native to Southeast Asia, is an evergreen tree nuts. Cardamom, also known as white nutmeg, bitter smell, taste pungent and slightly bitter, cooking can be deodorized, increase the pungent aroma, commonly used in brine as well as hot pot, etc.; Grass nutmeg, but also a kind of spice seasoning, can be deodorized, strange taste, for the dishes to enhance the aroma. In cooking can be used with cardamom or substitute.

Spices in Sichuan hot pot in the use of a wide range, such as incense leaves, for the geranium leaves, whether spicy hot pot or white soup hot pot, can be used for 1 to 3 leaves for aroma; another example of wicker betel, for the pepper family plants, in addition to increase the aroma of the experienced hot pot chef also draws on the experience of medicinal cuisine, adding wicker betel used to enhance the spicy hot pot spicy flavor. There are many others such as Chuanxiong, Angelica, Angelica dahurica, Chenpi, and Patchouli ......, so I won't list them all here. Hot pot spices must be matched, as long as the match is not afraid of it fried not fragrant, plant spices in cooking with good, the dishes are welcome, with bad is a big loss of appetite, may also lead to negative effects.