Ultimate Mala Tang Recipe You Can Make at Home
A Tingle and Spice Sensation! Make Mala Tang at Home, Now with Homemade Sauce!
Dive into the addictive charm of Mala Tang, a dish you can’t stop eating once you try it! It pairs wonderfully with a cold beer and is an absolutely perfect accompaniment for soju. This guide covers everything from a super simple recipe using store-bought sauce to making your own rich and flavorful Mala sauce from scratch. This time, I went the extra mile and bought all sorts of spices to create my own Mala sauce, and the result was truly ‘amazing’! If you love Mala, I highly recommend this Mala sauce recipe. Making it yourself not only enhances the aroma but, more importantly, results in a less salty and more satisfying flavor. Plus, you can adjust the spiciness to your liking! Of course, making the sauce might seem like a lot just for one pot of Mala Tang, but if you’re truly addicted to Mala Tang, this sauce recipe is a must-try. While this recipe is for Mala Tang, I plan to use this sauce for Mala Xiang Guo next time. So, shall we get started?
Mala Tang (1 Serving)
- 100g Chicken Tenderloin or Beef
- 70g Sweet Potato Noodles or Flat Sweet Potato Noodles
- 1/2 King Oyster Mushroom
- 30g Oyster Mushroom
- 1/4 Enoki Mushroom
- 15g Wood Ear Mushroom
- 1 Cabbage Leaf
- 1 handful Bean Sprouts
- 1 Bok Choy
Homemade Mala Sauce
- 2 Tbsp Szechuan Peppercorns (Hua Jiao)
- 2 Tbsp Green Peppercorns (Ma Jiao)
- 3 Star Anise
- 10 Cloves
- 1 piece Cinnamon Stick (approx. 5cm)
- 1 tsp Fennel Seeds
- 6 Cardamom Pods
- 1 Nutmeg
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 25 Dried Vietnamese Chilies
- 10cm White part of Green Onion
- 30g Ginger
- 100g Red Chili Powder (fine grind)
- 130g Doubanjiang (Spicy Bean Paste)
- 150g Cooking Oil
- 2 Tbsp Szechuan Peppercorns (Hua Jiao)
- 2 Tbsp Green Peppercorns (Ma Jiao)
- 3 Star Anise
- 10 Cloves
- 1 piece Cinnamon Stick (approx. 5cm)
- 1 tsp Fennel Seeds
- 6 Cardamom Pods
- 1 Nutmeg
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 25 Dried Vietnamese Chilies
- 10cm White part of Green Onion
- 30g Ginger
- 100g Red Chili Powder (fine grind)
- 130g Doubanjiang (Spicy Bean Paste)
- 150g Cooking Oil
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, slice the green onion in half lengthwise, then finely julienne it. This will be used to create fragrant green onion oil.
Step 2
Peel the ginger, slice it thinly, and then mince it finely or julienne it.
Step 3
Measure out the Szechuan peppercorns, green peppercorns, cloves, star anise, fennel seeds, nutmeg, bay leaves, cinnamon, and cardamom according to the recipe. Then, soak them in warm water for 10 minutes.
Step 4
Cut the dried Vietnamese chilies in half and gather them, including the seeds. Always remove the stems before using the chilies.
Step 5
Once all ingredients are prepped, heat cooking oil in a pan and add the ginger and green onion. Sauté for about 5 minutes to create aromatic green onion oil. Maintain medium-low heat to prevent burning.
Step 6
Cook the ginger and green onion in the oil until they are gently simmering and fragrant.
Step 7
When the green onion starts to turn a light golden brown, add the prepared dried chilies and sauté them together to infuse their flavor.
Step 8
Drain the soaked spices thoroughly using a sieve. Excess water can cause the oil to splatter.
Step 9
Now, add the drained spices to the simmering green onion oil and sauté over low heat until fragrant.
Step 10
In a small bowl, mix half of the red chili powder (50g) with the doubanjiang until well combined.
Step 11
After sautéing the spices and chilies, turn off the heat and slowly pour the hot oil over the remaining 50g of red chili powder to create chili oil. Strain out the solids, keeping only the clear chili oil, which is your ‘Mala Oil’. Be careful not to burn the chili powder during this process; stir gently.
Step 12
Add the doubanjiang mixture to the prepared Mala Oil. Return to low heat and simmer gently for about 10 minutes to develop the deep flavor of the Mala sauce. Stir continuously to prevent sticking.
Step 13
When using the finished Mala sauce, mix the solids with the oil. Approximately 40g is a good starting point for one serving, but feel free to adjust to your taste.
Step 14
Now, let’s prepare the Mala Tang ingredients. Trim the tough ends from the mushrooms and tear them into bite-sized pieces. Slice the king oyster mushrooms into quarters lengthwise.
Step 15
Soak the wood ear mushrooms and sweet potato noodles in lukewarm water until softened. For the sweet potato noodles, soak them for about 20-30 minutes for a chewy texture.
Step 16
Trim the base of the bok choy. You can either separate the leaves or cut the whole stalk in half. The leaves can be left whole.
Step 17
Cut the cabbage into pieces about 2-3cm in length. Avoid cutting them too small, as they might become too soft when cooked.
Step 18
Rinse the bean sprouts thoroughly under running water and drain them well in a colander. Excess water can dilute the broth.
Step 19
For the chicken tenderloin, place it in a pot with bay leaves or a few whole peppercorns and boil to create a savory chicken broth. Once cooked, shred the chicken. In a single-serving pot, arrange the shredded chicken and prepared mushrooms. (If using beef, skip the broth-making step and simply prepare the beef to be added directly to the pot.)
Step 20
Now, artfully arrange the bok choy, cabbage, bean sprouts, and enoki mushrooms in the pot, layering about 5-6 pieces of each. Place a generous heaping spoonful (about 40g) of the Mala sauce in the center.
Step 21
Fill the pot with the chicken broth to about 80% capacity. Place the pot on the stove and stir with a spatula as the Mala sauce dissolves into the broth to create your delicious Mala Tang! Taste and if it needs more flavor, add more Mala sauce. If it’s already too spicy for your liking, season with salt. Feel free to add cilantro or other vegetables to your preference.
