Every Westerner who lands on Chinese shores for the first time has a host of treats to look forward to. Whether it's a hike up the Great Wall, a trip to the Terra Cotta Warriors, or a cruise down the Yangtze River, visitors will have no end of ''firsts'' to enjoy. But for many, their first experience with authentic Chinese food will be the one that truly blows their minds - and mouths - away.

Enter the hotpot. As a long time ex-pat in China, I'd advise you to leave the Peking Duck or the Gongbao Jiding (Kung Po Chicken) till later, and instead enjoy a culinary baptism of fire over this spicy treat.

This meal originated in Sichuan Province, a place where they rarely hold back on the chilli. Restaurants in the nearby municipality of Chongqing claim to serve the hottest hotpot in the land, but in truth, you can find plenty-hot versions of this delicious dish all over the country. 

First choose the soup, the oil-based liquid in which the ingredients will be cooked. Good news here for the weak of palate - most hotpot restaurants offer a ''half-and-half''type pot, which keeps the fiery liquid quite separate from a tamer, chicken-based broth. Some restaurants also offer soups that contain some herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine.

Then you need to select a sauce. Again there are options to choose from. There's majiang, a kind of sesame paste often flavoured with some pickled tofu and a drop of sesame oil. Or, there's the sesame oil sauce itself, into which is thrown a large quantity of crushed garlic. Some restaurants will have their own special sauce, but whichever one you choose, be sure to boost the flavour by adding some chopped coriander and spring onion - the wait-staff should supply this on small plates.

Next, go through the menu and select your ingredients. You'll see a range of meats, usually mutton and beef, arranged - and priced - at different grades. From my experiences, the best thing to do is choose the cheaper meats, as the higher priced options rarely correspond with quality. You'll also likely see a selection of seafood like shrimp or clams, but, if you're having Sichuan hotpot, you're better off sticking to the red stuff. There are other restaurants that specialize in seafood hotpot.

Also on the menu will be a large selection of vegetables, including assorted mushrooms, spinach, and other types of greens common to China. Be sure to order the sliced potato and lotus root. These taste particularly good when the slices absorb the soup.

Brave eaters should make sure they order a bowl of Chinese cabbage to add to their soup. An ex-pat friend of mine used to refer to this as ''The Bomb'' - try a few chilli-drenched leaves to find out why. Enjoy! 

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Keywords: Hotpot