If Sichuan flavours are your thing, this is going to be RIGHT up your street. And, if you’ve not had a self-heating hot pot before, this is a double whammy of treats. Essentially, this Xioalongkan self-heating hot pot is like instant noodles on steroids. These tend to be bigger servings than your typical instant noodles and whenever we have them, we share one between two. I’m not sure who the intended audience is – maybe hikers or backpackers? Maybe people camping? Or students who want to cook and eat in their room? But I do know that these are fun and tasty.
For instant noodles this is a relatively complex affair. The packet includes a heating mat, dried noodles, part cooked vegetables, Sichuan seasoning paste, hot oil as well as plastic gloves and chopsticks. In terms of plastic waste, this isn’t great although we’ll reuse the tubs as seedling trays in the garden and the gloves will probably come in handy at some point! I was intrigued to work out how it heats – turns out the heating pad is made from quicklime which reacts to cold water and releases enough heat to bring the broth almost to the boil. It probably took around 10 minutes from start to eat and you put water in two places – in the heating area and to make the broth.
Flavour punch
We ate this one in our garden last week and were really impressed by the strength of Sichuan flavour which quite literally had our faces tingling. If you’re not used to Sichuan peppercorn, or don’t handle heat well – these are not the noodles for you. They are intense but so flavourful. I was tingling from my head to my toe and really enjoyed the sharp, salty broth alongside the lotus root, bamboo shoots and potato slices in the hot pot. It was also plenty big enough for two at lunch time.
This hot pot was unapologetically Chinese in terms of flavour and ingredients. The chilli oil sat like a slick on top of the broth – fire red and threatening to stain any piece of clothing it went near. It shouted in the face of every imitation of Sichuan hot pot flavour I’ve seen in supermarkets and western products. This Xiaolongkan self-heating hot pot is incredible.
How did it score?
- Flavour – 8/10
- Texture – 6/10
- Ease of making – 5/10
Total: 19/30
Buy again? Hell yes!! We’re hoping to go camping later this year and we will 100% be picking up a few of these for evening meals outside the tent!! No electricity required for one tasty hot meal!
This Xiaolongkan self-heating hot pot cost around £6.50 from memory and we got it from 189 Oriental in Bristol but you can get them online and in other Asian supermarkets so do keep an eye out. Prices range between £5-£12 depending on how fancy you go! Do remember too that this will feed two of you!
For more instant noodle reviews, head over to my Noodle Reviewooodle page. And, for Chinese inspired recipes, how about this sticky ribs recipe from Rachel Allen?