Short answer: match the pour to the broth, not the other way around. Clean broths and Japanese-style soup bases want sake. Spicy mala or tom yum wants something with acidity, so off-dry riesling or a dry white. Festive CNY steamboat wants bubbles. And if you’re doing a proper Chinese-style hotpot with the family, baijiu or kaoliang is the traditional pour, not wine.

Steamboat is not a wine dinner. Everyone dips into the same pot for two hours, broths range from plain chicken stock to face-numbing mala, and nobody wants to overthink a pairing between bites of fishball and enoki. We sell bottles, not bar recommendations, so this guide sticks to what pours well and where to get it before Sunday night. For the wider view, see our Malaysian-Chinese pairing guide, part of our broader guide to Kuala Lumpur’s drinking scene, and our piece on pairing drinks with Malaysian home cooking.

Why Steamboat Needs a Different Pairing Approach Than Wine-with-Food

Most pairing advice assumes one dish, one glass, done. Steamboat breaks that model. It’s communal, it runs for two hours or more, and the broth changes character as the night goes on. A bottle poured at 7pm needs to still make sense at 9pm, after three broth refills.

Heat level is the other variable wine-and-food logic ignores. A plain chicken or bak kut teh broth behaves nothing like a mala pot loaded with Sichuan peppercorn, and tom yum sits somewhere in between. Your drink’s job isn’t to match the broth flavor for flavor, it’s to cut heat, refresh the palate between dips, and hold up across a long, shared meal. That’s why we’re steering you toward sake, off-dry white, sparkling wine, and baijiu here, not cocktails built for one drink at a time.

Sake: The Classic Pairing for Broth-Based Hotpot

Sake is the obvious starting point for any steamboat that leans Japanese-style, think konbu dashi, sukiyaki-adjacent broths, or a simple clear soup with tofu and mushrooms. It’s clean, low in competing aromatics, and its umami character complements broth rather than fighting it. Serve it lightly chilled and it refreshes the palate without overpowering delicate ingredients like fish slices or enoki.

Our anchor bottle here is the Dassai 23 Junmai Daiginjo (RM290, 720ML), one of the most polished sakes we carry and a bottle the whole table will want a pour from. If your steamboat leans sweeter, our Suntory Umeshu Tarushiage Yamazaki Taru Blend (RM193.00, 750ML) is a plum-wine crossover, less formal and easy for guests who don’t usually drink Japanese spirits. Browse the full range on our sake category page.

Off-Dry White & Riesling for Spicy Broths

If your steamboat is going the mala or tom yum route, acidity does the real work. A bone-dry white with no sweetness gets steamrolled by chili oil and Sichuan peppercorn, but a riesling with a touch of residual sugar does the opposite: the sweetness tempers the heat, the acidity cuts through the oil, and you get a clean reset before the next dip. It’s one of the more reliable rules in spicy-food pairing generally, and it holds for a mala steamboat just as well as tom yum-style broths.

Being upfront: our riesling selection is running tight right now, stock on this category moves fast around hosting season and a few of our usual bottles are sold out. Rather than point you at something that might not be there at checkout, browse our wine category page for what’s live. Riesling restocks regularly, so check back close to your steamboat date, or message Joyce on +60 16-9562 840 for what’s arriving next.

Sparkling Wine for a Festive CNY Steamboat

CNY reunion dinner steamboat is a different occasion from a casual Sunday hotpot with friends. It’s festive, dressed up a little, and bubbles fit the mood better than anything still. Sparkling wine also earns its place at the table: the carbonation cleanses the palate fast between dips, useful when you’re rotating through fishballs, prawns, and leafy greens in quick succession.

We’re anchoring on the Bottega Gold Prosecco Brut (RM170, 750ML), an easy, crowd-pleasing pour that doesn’t need explaining to guests who aren’t wine people. For a smaller, more intimate CNY steamboat, the Moët & Chandon Rosé Impérial Champagne (RM315, 750ML) is a genuine occasion bottle. Both work chilled, poured throughout the meal rather than saved for a toast.

Baijiu & Kaoliang: The Traditional Chinese Hotpot Pairing

This is the category most Malaysian-Chinese households already know exists but don’t always know how to approach. Baijiu and kaoliang are widely documented as the traditional pour at Chinese banquet tables, and hotpot is one of the settings where that custom shows up most, small cups, poured throughout the meal, sipped slowly rather than downed. The high proof and dry, grain-forward character cuts through rich, oily broths in a way wine can’t.

If you’re new to the category, the KinMen KaoLiang Liquor (RM540, 600ML) is a solid entry point. For a reunion dinner or milestone gathering, the Kweichow Moutai Flying Fairy 53% (2023) (RM1,283, 500ML) is the name most people associate with premium baijiu, a genuine centerpiece bottle. For more, our Malaysian-Chinese pairing guide goes deeper on the category. Browse the full range on our baijiu and kaoliang category page.

Whisky Highball: A Crossover Pick for Richer Broths

Not every guest wants sake, wine, or baijiu, and that’s fine. A light whisky highball, whisky over ice topped with soda, is a good crossover option, especially with richer, less spicy broths like herbal soup bases or collagen-heavy bone broths. The soda keeps it light enough to drink across a long meal, and the whisky’s char and grain notes don’t compete with spice the way a straight pour might. It’s the most familiar format for guests who don’t drink wine or sake regularly.

We’re not anchoring a new bottle here, our whisky picks are covered elsewhere in our guides. Browse what’s in stock on our whisky category page and build the highball with whatever you already have on the shelf, boleh tahan with most blended or lightly peated styles.

Ordering for Your Steamboat Night

Steamboat plans tend to firm up at the last minute, and that is fine. Every bottle on this page ships from our own Klang Valley stock, so a lunchtime order can be chilling before the broth starts bubbling.

Last updated July 2026.