7 hours ago, KennethT said:The magic of Chongqing hot pot.
I've been through my Chinese language cookbooks for Chongqing/Sichuan cookbooks looking for sesame sauce.
Some suggest dipping sauces incorporating sesame oil, which is certainly not unusual. However that recipe seems to be suggesting some kind of commercially produced sauce - it says all sesame sauces are not the same, which is true, but all Chinese sesame oils are essentially the same.
The recipe seems to be advocating a factory made sauce like this. I've never seen those being used in hotpots in Chongqing or Sichuan. They are more like what is used with Japanese しゃぶしゃぶ (shabu-shabu) as ごまたれ (goma dare), made with sesame paste.
Anyway I'd argue the 'soul' of those hotpots is definitely their mala flavour and sensation.