Malatang

Malatang (traditional Chinese: 麻辣燙; simplified Chinese: 麻辣烫; pinyin: málàtàng; lit. 'numb spicy hot') is a common type of Chinese street food.^[1] It originated in Sichuan, China, but it differs mainly from the Sichuanese version in that the Sichuanese version is more like what in northern China would be described as hotpot.

Malatang
Traditional Chinese	麻辣燙
Simplified Chinese	麻辣烫
Literal meaning	numb spicy hot
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin málàtàng Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization màah laaht tong Jyutping maa4 laat6 tong3

Etymology

Malatang is named after its key ingredient, mala sauce, which is flavored with a blend of Sichuan pepper and dried chili. The word málà is composed of the Chinese characters for "numbing" (麻) and "spicy (hot)" (辣), referring to the feeling in the mouth after eating the sauce.^[2]

Origin

Malatang is said to have originated on the Yangtze River near Sichuan. In ancient times, boating was a big industry and many people made a living by towing boats. Continually plying their trade in damp, foggy conditions made workers on the river feel chronically cold and debilitated, so when they were hungry, they would cook herbs in a pot and add pungent Sichuan pepper and ginger to the resulting soup to banish the miserable dampness. Realizing the growing popularity of Malatang, street vendors soon cashed in on the business opportunity that this afforded and spread the dish far and wide throughout China.^[2][3]

Unlike hotpot, which is made to order and shared only by diners at a table, malatang originates from street food cooked in a communal pot. Diners can quickly choose the type of food they fancy and either eat it on the spot or take it away to eat later.^[2][3]

Preparation

Skewers

Skewer-style malatang in Sanlitun, Beijing

Typically a table with a big and flat saucepan is set up on the street, with a large number of ingredients in skewers being cooked in a mildly spicy broth. Customers sit around the table and pick up whatever they want to eat. Given the large number of ingredients available, normally not all ingredients are in the saucepan at the same time, and customers may suggest what is missing and should be added.^[2][3]

Customers keep the used wooden sticks by their plates, and when a customer finishes eating, the price to pay is determined by counting the number of empty sticks.^[2][3]

By weight

Self-service selection of ingredients at a malatang shop, with vegetables and noodles in the foreground and fish and meat in the back

A ready bowl of malatang soup

In the mid-2010s, malatang shops became popularized throughout North China. In these shops, the ingredients are usually displayed on shelves, and customers pick their desired ingredients into a bowl. Behind the counter, the selected ingredients are cooked in a spicy broth, usually at very high temperature for 3–4 minutes. Before serving, malatang is typically further seasoned with much garlic, black pepper, Sichuan pepper, chili pepper, sesame paste, and crushed peanuts. The price is calculated based on the weight of the self-picked ingredients.^[2][3]

Malatang has also become popular in Australia during the 2010s with chains such as No.1 Malatang and Yang Guo Fu opening new branches across the country. Malatang chains in Australia also often offer options such as laksa, tom yum and pho broths as a soup base option.

Common ingredients

Some of the common ingredients include:^[4]

• wosun (celtuce)
• beef (chunks)
• dumplings
• lettuce
• spinach
• other mixed greens
• lotus root
• mushrooms
• fresh and instant noodles
• pork liver
• pork lung
• potato
• quail eggs
• Spam
• Chinese yam
• sheep intestines
• numerous types of dried and frozen tofu
• nian gao rice cakes
• beef balls
• fish balls
• chicken balls
• sweet potato
• tripe
• fish roe lucky bag

Benefits of malatang

Supplementary nutrition

A variety of vegetables and meat are often added to malatang, which has a rich variety of ingredients, and can absorb a variety of nutrients during eating, playing a role in balancing nutrition.^[5]

Hazards of malatang

Some businesses have benefited from adding poppy seed pods, which are illegal in China, when cooking malatang.^[6][7]