The preparation of the soup for mala hotpot has all the makings of a black art. The basic stock is produced by boiling beef bones for anything from 12 hours to two days to get out all the marrow.
麻辣鍋的湯頭，俗稱「鍋底」，作法十分考究，湯汁主要是用牛骨長時間熬煮到骨髓盡溶，少則半日，多則一、二天。