At the table
Ladle the cooked soup into a small bowl and use chopsticks for the meat and radish. Let it cool a little before sipping.
This includes pork organs as well as meat. If you prefer to avoid a particular organ, ask which cuts are in the pot before ordering.
The clear soup is usually mild; dipping sauces can add chili heat. The choice and proportion of pork, offal and radish vary.
GET TO KNOW THE DISH
What goes into it?
Explore some key ingredients below. Preparations may use additional seasonings and ingredients.
Offal selection varies and can include liver and tripe, with local radish.
Typical ingredients
Recipes vary by restaurant.
How does it taste?
Lightly seasoned and meaty.
- Chili heat
- Texture
- Tender thin pork slices, firmer liver, springy tripe and soft simmered radish give a range of textures.
- How it’s made
- Simmer tripe longer; cook thin pork and liver slices in the broth.
Offal selection varies and can include liver and tripe, with local radish.
A CONNECTION TO PLACE
Origin & regional roots
Associated with Chongqing.
Ask if they have it first
请问你们有合川刨猪汤吗？
Do you have this item?
A LITTLE SOMETHING TO READ
Story & history
A winter pig feast shared with neighbors
This account describes a tradition or story, rather than an established historical fact.
Hechuan’s paozhu soup belongs to the gathering around the pig slaughtered for Lunar New Year, not to one fixed recipe. Around the winter solstice, rural households in Hechuan and nearby areas traditionally invited relatives and neighbors to share dishes made from fresh pork, blood and offal—a meal tied to harvest, reunion and thanks for a year’s work. The mix of offal and vegetables can vary from table to table.
