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A one-day hands-on workshop in Chongqing for anyone who wants to take the city's most famous dish home. You shop the spice market, make a hotpot base from scratch in a teaching kitchen, then cook hotpot and two other Sichuan dishes using it. Classes run in English and suit complete beginners; recipe cards are printed in English.
Morning - The spice market
A Chongqing hotpot base is built from beef tallow, dried chillies, fermented broad-bean paste and a spice mix that varies by shop and is usually a family secret. At a wholesale spice market your teacher explains how to judge a chilli by its smell and colour, what Sichuan peppercorn does to the tongue, and which spices provide aroma rather than heat.
Late morning - Making the base
In a teaching kitchen you make a base yourself: frying the chilli paste slowly so it does not burn, adding the fermented bean paste and spices, and finishing with beef tallow. It is slow work and it cannot be hurried, which is the first thing the class teaches.
Lunch
Hotpot cooked with your own base, plus two dishes that use the same seasoning: maoxuewang, and a wok-fried chicken with dried chillies.
Afternoon - Tea and recipes
A tea session to settle the palate, printed English recipe cards, and a vacuum-sealed jar of your own base to take away if you wish to carry it home.
Evening - Free, with suggestions
Your guide returns you to the hotel with a list of nearby places to eat.
Meals
Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation
Day tour - no hotel night included.
| Group Size | Adult(Age:8-80) Price/p.p | Child(Age:4-7) Price/p.p | Infant(Age:0-3) Price/p.p |
| 2 PAX | from $340 | / | / |
| 4 PAX | from $240 | / | / |
| 6 PAX | from $209 | / | / |
| 8 PAX | from $192 | / | / |
| 10 PAX | from $171 | / | / |
| 20 PAX | from $144 | / | / |
| 30 PAX | from $135 | / | / |
Please read the notes below before you book. They cover entry formalities, pace, weather and what to bring.
Q: Is this tour private or shared?
A: It is a private tour. Only your own party travels with the guide and vehicle, so the pace and the order of stops can be adjusted on the day.
Q: What is the best season for this itinerary?
A: April to June and September to November bring the mildest weather and clearest light. The programme runs year round, and we adjust the daily timings in mid-summer and winter.
Q: Can you handle dietary requirements and accessibility needs?
A: Yes. Vegetarian, halal, gluten-free and allergy-aware menus are arranged when you tell us in advance. Step-free and low-mobility versions of the route can also be planned.
Q: How do we book and pay?
A: Send us your travel dates and group size for a same-day quotation. A deposit confirms the booking, the balance is due before arrival, and prices are guaranteed for 7 days.
