Tuan Yuan Hotpot

Name: Tuan Yuan Hotpot
Address: 29 Forest Ave, Portland, ME, US

Sichuan Hot Pot

Mon-Fri 5pm-11pm; Sat-Sun open at noon

Hot pot: A simmering pot of broth at the table (a numbing-hot mala broth in the Chongqing style, or a clear, mild one) into which diners cook thin-sliced meats, seafood, tofu, greens and noodles, then dip them in sauces. On this menu as: Hot Pot Broths · Hot Pot Add-ins.
Mala: Literally "numbing-hot": the Sichuan pairing of chili (la) with Sichuan peppercorn (ma), which leaves a tingling numbness on the lips. Most associated with Chongqing, it flavors hot pot, malatang, dry pots and stir-fries; a dish labeled mala should have both. On this menu as: Vegetarian Mala Spicy Soup.
Five-spice: A ground blend, typically star anise, cloves, cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorn and fennel, that seasons braises, roast meats and salt-and-pepper dredges. Sweet-warm and licorice-tinged. On this menu as: Five-Spice Pressed Tofu.
Tofu (bean curd): Pressed soybean curd, from custard-soft (for mapo tofu and soups) to firm (for stir-fries and braises). Fried tofu puffs soak up sauce; tofu skin (yuba) is the sheet lifted off simmering soy milk, rolled and braised or fried as a "vegetarian duck". On this menu as: Five-Spice Pressed Tofu.

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