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China has many wonderful dishes to enjoy on chilly days. You can savor spicy Chongqing hot pot, steaming bowls of dim sum, or sweet egg tarts… However, if you're looking for something new and unique with rich ingredients, malatang is a dish worth trying.
Malatang is a popular street food in China, and you can find and enjoy it in almost any location in the country. Originating from Sichuan Province, its name in simplified Chinese is 麻辣烫 (málàtàng), meaning "numb, spicy, and hot." The dish is named after its main ingredient, mala sauce, combined with plenty of Sichuan peppercorns and chili powder. The word "mala" is formed from the Chinese characters for "numb" (ma) and "spicy" (la), referring to the spicy sensation in the mouth after eating.
In ancient times, rowing was a common occupation in China, with many people earning a living by rowing and pulling boats. Working in damp and foggy weather made them very tired and cold, so boatmen and laborers created malatang to eat when they were hungry. They used whatever vegetables they could find (bought or picked) to make a soup, then added plenty of spices such as pepper, ginger, and Sichuan chili to ward off the cold. Because of its simplicity and convenience, this dish spread quickly. Many people along the riverbanks and ferries started to learn how to make it. They placed the ingredients and broth on either end of a carrying pole and carried it around to sell, walking and calling out their wares. Gradually, malatang became popular and appeared throughout China.
What makes malatang special is that the ingredients are skewered. Meats and vegetables are sliced thinly and then threaded onto bamboo skewers, making the dish visually appealing and fun. The ingredients for malatang are simple and common; almost all the ingredients of hot pot are used in this dish. You can choose from pork, beef, chicken, lamb... to seafood like fish, shrimp, squid... or your favorite vegetables to cook with the broth. Over time, the ingredients for malatang have become more diverse, with many restaurants now serving meatballs, fish balls, sausages, dumplings, and more.
Vegetables for malatang are divided into two distinct categories: leafy and leafless. Leafy vegetables include lettuce, Chinese cabbage, cilantro, and spinach, but these are usually only used as garnish to enhance the dish's visual appeal. Leafy vegetables typically include broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, yams, corn, lotus root, bamboo shoots, and mushrooms. These vegetables retain much of the broth's flavor and also enhance the dish's overall taste.
Noodles and tofu are always the main ingredients in malatang. There are many different types of noodles for diners to choose from: potato noodles, ramen, egg noodles, vermicelli, rice noodles, etc. The tofu is also varied, from soft tofu, Japanese tofu, glossy tofu, frozen tofu, tofu noodles, bean curd skin… This diversity allows customers to choose freely. Because the dish is a variation of Sichuan hot pot, its seasonings are similar to those of Sichuan hot pot, including Sichuan chili oil and ground pepper, which provide a numbing and spicy flavor. However, not everyone can tolerate spicy food well, so malatang restaurants have started offering other seasonings to replace or reduce the spiciness. Now, diners can try several sauces such as peanut sauce, sesame seed sauce, vinegar sauce, etc.
Unlike hot pot, malatang doesn't have individual pots of broth for each table. Instead, diners choose individual skewers of food along with broth, which they then pass to a server. The food is cooked and placed in a bowl to be eaten on the spot or taken away.
Like a homemade salad, diners can customize everything about malatang, from ingredients to seasonings and spiciness level. Its convenience and versatility have made malatang increasingly popular and one of the must-try dishes when visiting China. What could be better than enjoying a steaming, fragrant bowl of malatang on a chilly day?
