Taiwan winter tonic pots compared: sesame oil chicken and mutton hotpot quantities vary widely

Taiwan's winter tonic pots go beyond ginger duck. Sesame oil chicken, ginger duck and mutton hotpot are often mentioned together, and according to a 2019 article in foodNEXT, all three use Taiwanese rice wine (the red-label brand).

A 2025 column in foodNEXT says the sales peak for mutton hotpot is usually November to February. A 2019 article in the same publication says mutton hotpot only became popular in the 1980s. The ingredients and methods below are compiled from several Taiwanese recipes, with information current to November 2026.

Three pots, three stars

• Sesame oil chicken: the broth is built on black sesame oil, rice wine and ginger.
• Ginger duck: adds herbs such as Chinese angelica (danggui), chuanxiong, old ginger and wine.
• Mutton hotpot: mutton is the main ingredient, with a herbal-medicine-style broth; angelica, goji berries and chuanxiong are common examples.

The first two descriptions come from a January 2026 article in TVBS Health, based on information from Chinese medicine practitioner Chen Zhaoquan. The herb examples for mutton hotpot come from foodNEXT.

Sesame oil chicken: fry the ginger first

Two recipes with full quantities, from NOWnews and TVBS Health, follow broadly the same order of steps, yet their quantities differ greatly:

• Chicken: one uses 600g of bone-in chicken (roughly one pot); the other uses one boneless chicken thigh.
• Old ginger: about 30g to 70g.
• Rice wine: one says 300c.c.; the other says two bottles of pure rice wine, without stating the volume.
• Stock or hot water: about 500ml to 1,500ml.

The two recipes differ considerably in the ratio of wine to liquid, and there is no standard amount.

Home method

1. Blanch the chicken first. For a more fragrant chicken fat, it can instead be dry-fried, but the scum must be skimmed off.
2. Lay the ginger slices flat in the pot and fry them slowly in sesame oil over low or medium-low heat until the edges curl; some recipes add garlic at the same time.
3. Add the chicken and stir-fry until the surface changes colour.
4. Pour rice wine in along the side of the pot and boil briefly to let the alcohol cook off.
5. Add stock or hot water, bring to the boil, then simmer on low heat until the chicken is fully cooked through.
6. For a lighter version, add cabbage, mushrooms or goji berries, and season with salt at the end.

Two details are worth noting. The TVBS recipe warns against frying the ginger until it turns dark brown, as it becomes more heating. NOWnews says vegetables release water that dilutes the sesame oil and wine flavours, and that leaving them out is also the traditional way. A 2020 column by a Chinese medicine practitioner in Edh.tw gives another order: add the sesame oil and rice wine only just before serving.

Wu Hongqian, the Chinese medicine practitioner consulted for the TVBS recipe, suggests adding cooler-natured vegetables such as cabbage or small bok choy to balance the heating feeling. This is one practitioner's personal view.

Mutton hotpot: blanch first, then simmer

For mutton hotpot with full quantities, we found only several TVBS Health recipes and no figures from other publishers to compare, so the quantities and times below are for reference only.

The TVBS skin-on mutton recipe blanches the meat first to remove impurities, and says this reduces the gamey smell. It then fries ginger in black sesame oil over low heat, stir-fries the mutton, and adds a herbal spice pack, rice wine, sugar cane and just enough water to cover, before simmering gently and adding salt just before serving. For simmering time, this recipe says 90 minutes, while another angelica and ginger mutton soup recipe says 2 hours.

On quantities, the TVBS recipes range from 100g of sliced mutton to about 600g (1 jin) of skin-on mutton, and from one slice to 10g of angelica. In the 2025 TVBS angelica and ginger mutton soup, blanched mutton is simmered with angelica, ginger and goji berries in water until tender, then salted at the end.

Using sliced mutton

Two TVBS recipes use sliced mutton, and both add the slices only after the broth is ready. The red yeast rice and black bean recipe first boils stir-fried black beans in water to make the broth and adds the slices once it is boiling; if thick-cut mutton belly is used instead, the angelica should go in later to avoid an overly pungent taste. The white fungus and walnut mutton soup likewise adds the sliced mutton last and skims off the scum once it is cooked.

An option without the wine

A 2025 TVBS Health article features three home dishes recommended by Chinese medicine practitioner Zhuang Boning. The ingredient list for the yam and black bean chicken soup includes no rice wine: soak the black beans, cook them with chicken and ginger slices until soft, then add the yam and season with a little salt. The article does not list any dietary restrictions or who should avoid each dish.

Who should pause first

A January 2026 TVBS Health article quotes Chen Zhaoquan:

• Sesame oil chicken: not recommended for people with a heat-prone constitution, those with a cold or inflammation, and women who are menstruating or pregnant.
• Ginger duck: may worsen inflammation symptoms such as a sore throat or yellowish phlegm or nasal mucus; menstrual bleeding may increase.
• Mutton hotpot: people with weak digestion should not eat much.

These are one practitioner's personal opinions, not a medical diagnosis. The same article advises pregnant women to avoid foods containing alcohol where possible, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare website also lists a Q&A from the Health Promotion Administration on whether pregnant women can eat dishes cooked with alcohol, such as sesame oil chicken. Pregnant women, and anyone unsure about their own situation, should ask a healthcare professional first.

Food safety

The sesame oil chicken and mutton hotpot recipes mostly use rice wine, and the NOWnews recipe ends with a reminder not to drive after drinking. Chicken and mutton must both be cooked through before eating. Walnuts are nuts, so people with a nut allergy should avoid versions containing them.

Sources

• TVBS Health | Winter wellness: how to eat sesame oil chicken, ginger duck and mutton hotpot as a tonic | 2026-01-01 | https://health.tvbs.com.tw/nutrition/359980
• TVBS Health | Cold snap tonics: three home dishes recommended by a doctor | 2025-01-10 (updated 2025-02-12) | https://health.tvbs.com.tw/nutrition/352253
• NOWnews | Cooking sesame oil chicken: add whisky before turning off the heat | 2025-11-07 | https://www.nownews.com/news/6751396
• TVBS Health | Sesame oil mushroom chicken: balancing the heat with one vegetable | 2025-11-13 (updated 2026-05-12) | https://health.tvbs.com.tw/recipe/358955
• TVBS Health | Mutton, one way to eat it for warmth and cold hands and feet | 2019-12-10 (updated 2022-04-12) | https://health.tvbs.com.tw/nutrition/321998
• TVBS Health | Red yeast rice, black bean and ginger mutton | 2025-01-11 | https://health.tvbs.com.tw/recipe/352256
• TVBS Health | White fungus and walnut mutton soup | 2023-12-14 (updated 2023-12-21) | https://health.tvbs.com.tw/nutrition/343905
• Edh.tw | Can sesame oil chicken and ginger duck warm you up? Chinese medicine practitioner: two types of people should avoid them | 2020-11-29 | https://edh.tw/articles/SFpne32
• foodNEXT | Mutton hotpot's transformation challenge | 2025-02-08 | https://www.foodnext.net/column/columnist/paper/6611055462
• foodNEXT | The winter food secrets Taiwanese rely on | 2019-04-07 | https://www.foodnext.net/life/culture/paper/5593303870
• Ministry of Health and Welfare | MOHW Q&A list (including the Health Promotion Administration Q&A on pregnancy and dishes cooked with alcohol) | 2025-08-19 | https://www.mohw.gov.tw/EN/lp-4343-1-4-20.html

Prices and details correct as of November 2026

Any recipe amounts, temperatures and times are compiled from several sources and are a guide only. Take food-safety care with raw, allergenic or high-risk ingredients.