Mala Xiang Guo (Spicy Numbing Stir-fry Pot) is a traditional Chinese recipe for a classic vegetarian stir-fry version of a Sichuan hot pot with mushrooms and vegetables in a Sichuan hotpot soup base with chillies and Sichuan peppercorns. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Chinese version of: Spicy Numbing Stir-fry Pot (Mala Xiang Guo).
(click this button to prevent the screen from sleeping so Cook Mode is 'ON')
Mala Xiang Guo (麻辣香锅) is a popular Chinese dish, considered a 'dry version of hot pot', where stir-fried ingredients are coated in a rich, spicy, and numbing "mala" sauce made from chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns. It's counted amongst the national dishes of China
This ma la xiang guo recipe (a spicy mix of vegetables, fish balls or cakes, and Sichuan seasonings) is a recreation of a dish you will often encounter in Beijing.
Ingredients:
For the vegetables:
3 celery sticks, thinly sliced
2 carrots, thinly sliced
2 potatoes, sliced
60g rehydrated wood-ear mushrooms (rinsed and drained)
3 long pieces of rehydrated tofu bean threads (Fǔzhú, drained)
4-6 shiitake mushrooms (rehydrated if using dried shiitake mushrooms, washed and sliced)
a handful of sliced lotus root
For the spice-infused oil:
80ml oil
3 star anise
2 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns
1 tbsp fennel seeds
1 black cardamom
1 cinnamon stick
3 bay leaves
1 whole nutmeg
1 large piece of dried orange peel
2 pieces dried ginger (or 5 slices of fresh ginger)
4 tbsp dried red chillies (keep them whole to avoid the dish being too hot)
For the remainder of the dish:
2 tbsp chilli bean sauce
1 tsp sweet red bean paste
1 portion hot pot soup base sauce
6 slices ginger
8 garlic cloves, smashed
3 shallots (sliced)
40g dried red chilli peppers (keep them whole to avoid the dish being too hot)
3 spring onions, chopped
1/4 head of cabbage, sliced
200g pack fish balls (or Chinese fish cake, optional)
2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
1 tbsp sugar
Salt, to taste
a handful of chopped coriander
Method:
Bring a pan of water to a boil, and use to blanch all the vegetables (potatoes and carrots will take slightly more time), then transfer to an ice bath. Drain thoroughly and set aside.
For the spice-infused oil: Heat the oil in a wok over low heat, add all the spices, and let them infuse for 20 minutes, until all the spices start to brown. Turn off the heat, and use a slotted spoon to scoop out and discard all of the spices, keep the oil in the wok.
To assemble the dish: Turn the heat back on low to medium, then stir in the hot bean sauce, hot pot soup base sauce, ginger, garlic, and shallots.
Cook for a couple of minutes until the oil turns red, taking care not to burn the sauce.
Now add in the dried chillies, spring onions, and cabbage. Stir and mix everything for 2 minutes.
Stir in the fish balls (or quartered fish cakes) and all the blanched vegetables, adding in the shaoxing rice wine and sugar. Stir-fry and mix everything well for two minutes. Season to taste with salt.
Transfer to a serving plate (or serve right from the wok), and sprinkle with chopped coriander.
)
Click on the image, above to submit to Pinterest.