One of the best parts about celebrating the Chinese New Year is gathering with family around a comforting hotpot for reunion dinners – warm conversations paired with steaming soups always seem to be the perfect combination.
If you’re craving for a unique taste profile for your hotpot soups this year, or your mouth is watering over the thought of your favourite mala-tang from Hai Di Lao, you can spice up your reunion dinner experience without jostling for spots at popular restaurants. With delicious one-of-a-kind hotpot soup bases that carry flavours ranging from tasty tomato to umami prawn, you’ll be able to relish in a tantalising hotpot experience right at home!
Here’s our roundup of the 12 best hotpot soup bases that’ll ramp up the festivities and tickle your taste buds this CNY:
1. Ebi Bar Umami Goodness Broth
For those of you who have tasted Ebi Bar’s Signature Chao Da Ebi Prawn Noodles, you’re going to love their newly released Umami Goodness Broth.
Ebi Bar is a modern prawn noodle bar located at Cuppage Plaza that is best-loved for its Signature Chao Da Ebi Prawn Noodles. Their signature dish features a full and hearty prawn broth that’s a step up from your regular hawker centre prawn noodle dish – it has an elegant Japanese twist that gives the soup a punchy umami taste and weighty, rich texture.
Even with the take-home Umami Goodness soup base, you can be sure that Ebi Bar cuts no corners: the soup is made by simmering 40kg of fried prawn shells and heads for eight to 10 hours, then packaged into a one litre pack (S$6.90) that can be easily heated up to be enjoyed at home.
Of course, with every hotpot experience comes our favourite sauces. To accompany the decadent Umami Goodness Broth, you can also take your pick from Ebi Bar’s three sauces: Supreme Sambal (S$9.90) that is a spicy, fiery concoction, Tangy Sambal (S$6.90) that has a refreshing citrusy taste, and Curry Mayo (S$6.90) that’s best paired with fried ingredients.
Order the Umami Goodness Broth and sauces from Ebi Bar here. You can choose self-collection to skip delivery fees as well as find the hotpot soup base and sauces under the option: “Take Home Goodness – Sauces, Appetiser & Broth”!
2. Hai Di Lao Hotpot Soup Base
A list of hotpot soup bases is not complete without Hai Di Lao’s delicious broths. Whether your favourite from Hai Di Lao is the Sichuan spicy hotpot or tangy tomato soup, you’ll be able to enjoy the same comforting tastes from home this CNY with their take-home sauces and seasonings.
Hai Di Lao’s Tomato Soup is made by frying juicy tomatoes before boiling it to make the flavourful signature soup that so many of us love, and it is best paired with fresh fishes too; their Spicy Hotpot Sauce is made with selected Sichuan peppers and spices for that peppery kick – a welcome taste no matter the occasion.
You might not be served crispy snack platters or little ice-cold drinks as you get ready for your Hai Di Lao hotpot dinner, but you’ll get to miss the queues and have fun preparing the ingredients with your loved ones at home this CNY!
Buy Hai Di Lao Hotpot Soup Bases for S$3.95 on Shopee.
3. Mizkan Pork Bone & Soy Sauce Nabe Soup Base
Switch up your regular Chinese-style steamboat for a Japanese flavoured hotpot broth with the Mizkan Pork Bone & Soy Sauce Nabe Soup Base.
Mizkan is a 200-year-old brand that has its roots in Japanese tradition – its Pork Bone & Soy Sauce broth is a clear and light broth that’s with vegetables, brewed soy sauce, as well as simmered pork bone.
You also get to choose from two other flavours too: Yose Nabe that’s cooked with bonito fish, scallop, kelp, and chicken, or Sesame & Soy Sauce Nabe that’s prepared with chicken, kelp, sesame, and soymilk. These Japan-style broths are a flavourful departure from regular chicken soup over the Chinese New Year!
Order Mizkan Pork Bone & Soy Sauce Nabe Soup Base for S$6.20 on Shopee.
4. Prima Taste Laksa Hotpot Soup Base
Enjoy the local flavours of hearty laksa soup with Prima Taste’s Laksa Hotpot Soup Base. If you love the brand’s instant Laksa La Mian, then you’ll get to indulge in the coconutty and spicy notes on a larger scale during your CNY hotpot!
Prima Taste is a Singapore brand that uses natural ingredients and excludes MSG, artificial flavouring, and preservatives, so you can surely appreciate the authentic taste of laksa with your family.
The Laksa Hotpot soup base can be easily prepared just by adding water, and can serve five to seven people at once.
Love a local flavour with the Laksa Hotpot Soup Base for S$4.16 on Prima Taste.
The Prawn Stock Hotpot Soup Base is out of stock on Prima Taste’s website, but you can find it for S$4.42 on Lazada.
5. BoBo Royal Beauty Collagen Soup
Looking to buy your annual hotpot soup base from a familiar local brand? BoBo Royal Beauty Collagen Soup checks the boxes for a broth that’s packed with flavour and one that even gives you a beauty boost because of its collagen ingredients.
Better yet, you can cut down on your time spent shopping for steamboat ingredients with BoBo’s Royal Beauty Collagen Soup Steamboat Bundle that includes not just the tasty collagen broth base but also Cheese Tofu, Big Tau Kee, Cooked Fish Ball, Prawn Paste, Cheese Sausage, Fish Roe, Cheese Meatball, and Cheesy Meat – enough for two to four pax.
Get ready for your steamboat reunion with just a few simple clicks, and everything you need for your hotpot will be delivered right to your doorstep.
Order BoBo Royal Beauty Collagen Soup for S$13.90, and BoBo Steamboat Bundle for S$39.90 on Shopee!
6. Taihodien Spicy Mala Soup Concentrated Base
Taihodien’s Spicy Mala Soup Base has an even stronger kick than Hai Di Lai’s Sichuan Spicy Soup. For those who always go for the spiciest option for their mala or love a mouth-numbing spicy dish, this fragrant fiery broth will be right up your alley.
Slurp fiery hot soup and sweat it out together with your loved ones over the Chinese New Year. Order Taihodien Spicy Mala Soup Base for S$19.90 on Shopee.
7. Food People Beauty Collagen Soup Hotpot Base
Enter the new year in the pink of health with Food People Beauty Collagen Soup HotPot Base! Collagen soups do more than just carry rich and full-bodied flavours, they’re also known for providing health benefits such as increase muscle mass, improve skin elasticity, and prevent conditions like Arthritis.
Food People’s Beauty Collagen Soup is made without preservatives, colourings, or food additives, and is brewed right within on our sunny island. It’s so hearty that you’ll be wanting more after each sip!
Shop this hotpot soup base for $19.90 on Shopee.
8. Mr Joy’s Beauty Collagen Soup
Another collagen broth on our list, Mr Joy’s Beauty Collagen Soup is made with a premium blend of ingredients including organic chicken from Japan Miyazaki and cage-free chicken from Malaysia.
The soup is hearty and bursting with flavour so that you’ll be warmed in your tummies as you have heart-warming family conversations over your reunion dinner!
Order Mr Joys Beauty Collagen Soup for S$24.80 on Shopee.
9. Bibigo Korean Kimchi Soup & Army Stew
As you usher in the new this Lunar New Year, why not surprise your loved ones with a refreshing taste of Korea with Bibigo Korean Kimchi Soup or Army Stew hotpot soup bases?
Bibigo is a Korean brand that sells a delectable range of foods including mandu (dumplings), kimchi, as well as kuk and tang (soups and stews). All products manufactured in Korea, your taste buds will be tickled by the authentic taste of Korean cuisine when you drink their soups and stews.
There are several flavours to choose from: Kimchi & Pork, Kimchi & Pureed Bean, Kimchi & Tofu, and Army Stew. You can accompany the soup with ingredients such as pork belly, seafood, rice cake, tofu, and green onions too.
Order Bibigo Korean Soup Base for between S$11.80 to S$17.70 on Shopee.
10. Souper Haemul Dashi Pack
Something that’s a little different from your regular soup stock or soup base, Souper’s Haemul Dashi Pack brings a burst of flavours to the table, only in a little soup bag that works similar to your regular tea bags – just toss it in with water and you’ll enjoy a tasty broth.
Souper’s soup packs contain premium shrimps, anchovies, and kelp – yes, you can actually see whole shrimps and anchovies inside the little bag.
Simply add 600ml of water for every Dashi Pack. Once you’ve added water, let it boil for five to 10 minutes before removing the packs. If you prefer a deeper flavour you can leave the packs to boil for another five to 10 minutes with your hotpot ingredients, before removing the bags. It’s just as easy, healthy, and gives a delicious seafood flavour too!
Order Souper’s Haemul Seafood Dashi Packs for S$15.80 on Shopee, at 20% off.
11. Little Sheep Mala Hotpot Soup Base
Fans of Little Sheep Hot Pot Restaurant that’s located at Orchard Gateway will love the Little Sheep Mala Hotpot Soup Base. Even better, go for soup combinations just like you would at a hotpot restaurant. Our recommendations are to pair the Mala Hotpot Soup Base with the Signature White Soup Base, as well as the Mushroom with the Tomato Soup Base.
The Mala Hotpot Soup Base awakens the taste buds whilst the Signature White Soup gives a comforting and full-bodied fragrance that balances it out; for those who prefer lighter and more refreshing vegetable soups, then mushroom and tomato soups complement each other well.
Treat yourself and your loved ones to mix and match of wonderful hotpot flavours this CNY – order Little Sheep Hotpot Soup Bases for S$3.80, here!
12. Kampong Flavours Chi Kut Teh & Chicken Collagen Soup Base
Kampong Flavours’ Chi Kut Teh is boiled with chicken feet, herbs, and spices to give an aromatic, fresh herbal chicken soup that’s an alternative to Bak Kut Teh, which is a pork rib broth.
Or, if you’re a sucker for a traditional chicken hotpot soup base, Kampong Flavours’ Chicken Collagen golden soup base is the perfect substitute to your normal chicken stock, giving you a simmering broth that’s thick, golden, and deeper in flavour.
Order Chicken Collagen Soup Base for S$11.82 on Shopee. You can also purchase a Mix Soup Bundle of two Chi Kut Teh and two Chicken Collagen Soup Bases for S$38, here.
Feature image credit: Souper, Ebi Bar
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