Mala Love

by Monica liau
on Friday, January 22, 2010

I eat malatang more than is humanly decent, especially in the wintertime when it's spicy, snot-inducing heat drives away even the most persistent of frosty weather. For anyone not yet introduced to this staple, malatang means numbing spicy soup, and is the perfect concoction for a bone-cold day. Found in many hole-in-the-wall and makeshift establishments across the city, this is one of the kings of cheap. Rumor has it that this soupy ambrosia originated in the center for spicy food, Sichuan Province, where malatang was popular for working people and a hotpot for the poor traveling man.

As the dish made its way down the Yangtze River, it lost much of its extremely spicy punch, but the version found in Shanghai is still pretty good. The soup is a meat stock seasoned with Sichuan pepper, garlic and chilis. Walking in, a server will throw you a basket and give you the freedom to peruse and pick from their vast collections of meat (RMB1-3), vegetables (RMB0.5), tofu (RMB0.5-1.5) and starches (RMB1-2). After you've completed your selection, a custodian of the giant pot will grab your food and ask rapid fire "la, ma, suan, cu, tian?" This translates as "would you like to add extra hot pepper, numbing spice, garlic, vinegar or peanut sauce?" For me, the answer on all counts is a resounding "Yes!"

My malatang habit can bemuse or even horrify Chinese friends, as some say (despite its popularity) that malatang is dirty. This is vaguely true, as pots of soup sit on the fire all day, cooking hundreds of different people's vegetables and meat. I have never gotten sick, which I attribute to three things. A good malatang place serves soup that doesn't use enhancing agents like MSG - I've asked and many people only add it when soup is dished out. Simply request it without. The second important rule is that a safe malatang is always cooked at a brisk bubble.

Lastly, take a whiff of the soup when you walk by.It should smell tantalizingly fragrant, not of rancid lard and grease. Follow these rules and you're on your way to a lovely meal for under RMB10.