1. Mongolian-style

The main ingredient of the modern Mandarin version of Mongolian-style hot-pot is prime mutton taken from tiny sheep raised in inner Mongolia. Chefs cut the iced mutton into paper---thin slices and prepare a source containing ingredients like sesame butter, soy sauce, chili oil, chopped chives, glutinous rice wine, shrimp sauce, vinegar and Chinese parsley. The traditional hot-pot meal is not considered complete without bean curd, sesame pancakes and Chinese cabbages.

The best Mandarin hot-pot restaurant in Beijing is Donglaishun, on Wangfujing, the Fifth Avenue in Beijing. The mutton slices here are finer and thinner than anywhere else. The bubbling stock, into which the mutton is dipped, is favored with mushrooms and dried shrimps to create the traditional Mandarin taste.

2. Sichuan-style

Unlike the royal hot pot favored by the Mandarin aristocrats, the Sichun-style version has always been a food of the common folks. The Sichuan hot pot, like the rest of that humid and populous province's cuisine, tastes very spicy. The broth is flavored with chili peppers and other pungent herbs and spices. The main ingredients include hot pepper, Chinese crystal sugar and wine. Slices of kidney, chicken breast, beef tripe, goose intestines, spring onion, soya bean sprouts, mushrooms eel, duck and sea cucumber form the meat content of the dish.

And for those who like to cool their palate after the chili shock, many Sichuan restaurant now serve a hot pot that is divided into two sections-one containing a spicy broth, the other a milder, white stock.

3. Catonese-syle

The southern style is sweeter and features the seafood ingredients that have become popular in most Cantonese eateries. Fresh shrimps, scallops, crab meat, white eels and scuttle fish form the staples of this hot pot style. They are served with a sweetish white sauce.

Beijing Roast Duck 

Historical records show that Beijing Roast Duck first began in Nanjing, which was the capital of early Ming dynasty. When the capital moved to Beijing, the dish was also brought to Beijing as a delicacy on the imperial menu. Today there are two major schools of roast duck preparation, each with its own heritage. The first makes use of a conventional convection oven, in which no flames come into direct contact with the duck. The prime exponent of this technique is the Bianyifang Restaurants in Chongwenmen, which traces its history back to 1818. The second and better known method was developed in the imperial kitchens of the Qing Dynasty palace. Among many roast duck restaurants, Quanjude is the most popular one.

Ideally, the duck must be the white Beijing variety. It should be 65 days old when slaughtered and weigh two-and-a-half kilograms. Every six hours of the last 20days of their life, they queue obediently for a forced-feeding of highly nutritious mush that thickens the layer of fat under the skin. It takes four days to prepare a duck for the oven. After plucking, the bird is thoroughly cleaned, with each part carefully set aside for later use.

Air is pumped into the duck between its skin and flesh to give the rich, crispy texture when the duck is cooked. It is then brushed with a glaze and hung up to dry for 24 hours, to further separate the skin from the meat. When roasting, the duck is filled with water until the roasting is done and then the duck is hooked on a spit in a huge, round oven, which can take up to 20 ducks at a time.

The duck are roasted in a doorless oven, using non-smoky hardwood fuel, such as Chinese date, peach or pear to impart a subtle fruity flavor to the skin, the oven is heated to 270 degrees Centigrade and the ducks are left to roast for 30---40 minutes, depending on the sizes of the ducks, and the ducks must be turned frequently throughout the roasting process to ensure even cooking and to prevent them burning.

A Beijing duck dinner is more than just a meal. It's a ritual. Beginning with the cold appetizers, using liver, wing, stomach, web and eggs, and moving on through the four-part duck soup to the hot dishes-fried duck's heart in salt and pepper, tongue, kidneys - the whole roast duck is carried to the table for all to see before the meat is sliced and served. Normally, there is an accepted method of preparing Beijing Duck. Likewise, there is also a proper way to eat it. Holding a wafer pancake in his left hand, the dinner picks up two or three pieces of meat, cut into two-inch-square slices, and having dipped them into a thick, sweet sauce called "Jiang", places them in the center of the pancake, and adding some spring onions, fold the pancake - and munches.

Jiao Zi or Dumplings

Jiaozi, or dumplings with meat and vegetable fillings, is very popular at the New Year and at other festivals. It tops the list of delicacies of people in North China, where people eat jiaozi at midnight on New Year's Eve and for breakfast on New Year's Day.

The history of jiaozi dates back to ancient times, some 500-600 years ago. As the Spring Festival marks the start of a new year, people choose to eat jiaozi to connote their wishes for good fortune in the new year.

As China is a country with a vast territory, there are great difference in various regions in ways of making jiaozi or even serving it. For example, dumplings wrappers are made with a rolling stick in most areas of Beijing and Hebei Provinces, whereas in some parts of Shanxi Province and inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, wrappers are hand- pressed.

There is no set rule as to what makes dumping fillings. They can be anything from vegetables, meat to seafood. Whatever the fillings, the wrapping skill needs to be exquisite to make jiaozi look attractive. Ways of serving jiaozi also vary from place to place. Generally, jiaozi are boiled in clear water and served dry with vinegar, soy sauce, garlic or pepper oil if one likes them hot. In some parts of the Northeast China, however, dumplings are boiled in broth together with vermicelli made from bean starch, and served together.

To make jiaozi, first of all, chop the meat into pieces and mash them, then add salt, sesame oil, soy sauce, ginger, scallions, Chinese cabbage and MSG if you like. Mix thoroughly the ingredients and meat filling, add two spoonful of water if necessary.

In a big bowl, add water to flout gradually. Mix and knead by hand to form soft dough, then cover it with towel and put it aside for about an hour. Then scatter some dry flour on the board, knead and roll it into a sausage---like dough about 5 centimeters in diameter, then chop it into small pieces. Press each piece with your hand and get a pancake. Finally, to hold the pancake with your palm and put the filling in the center and wrap into half-moon shaped and seal the edges.

The next step is easy. Put the dumpling into boiling water, when it is well cooked, it is ready to be served. Before eating, you need to prepare some small dishes to contain the mixture of soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil or pepper oil - to your own taste.