Sichuan mala

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Sichuan mala
A mala hotpot using mala sauce
Chinese:	四川麻辣
Transliterations Mandarin - Hanyu Pinyin: si4 chuan1 maa4 laat6
alternative Chinese name
Traditional Chinese:	麻辣醬
Simplified Chinese:	麻辣酱
Transliterations Mandarin - Hanyu Pinyin: málàjiàng

Sìchu­ān málà, more commonly referred to as mala sauce, is a very popular Chinese oily and spicy sauce that was originated in the Sichuan Province of central China and used extensively in their cuisine. It has become one of the most common seasonings in Chinese cuisine, gaining popularity anywhere where there are large populations of Chinese. The term málà is a combination of two Chinese characters: "numbing" (麻) and "hot (piquant)" (辣), referring to the feeling in the mouth after eating the sauce. The sauce is used in a wide variety of cooking methods from stir-fry, stews, and soup, to being used in hot pot or as a dipping sauce. In the Sichuan and Yunnan provinces mala powder (麻辣粉; pinyin: málàfĕn) is used liberally on snacks and street foods, such as stinky tofu, fried potatoes, and barbecued meats and vegetables.

Contents 1 Composition 2 History 3 Dishes 4 In popular culture 5 See also

[edit] Composition

The sauce is made primarily of:

• Several varieties of chili peppers
• Sichuan peppercorns
• Doubanjiang
• Garlic
• Salt
• Vegetable oil

Variations also exist that also include shacha sauce, MSG, and ginger. These ingredients are then combined with a large amount of oil and slowly simmered for approximately 10 minutes. The result is then jarred and used.

Due to to the effort required in making the sauce, many Asian grocery stores sell prepared mala sauce, which is available in glass jars and plastic containers.^photo

[edit] History

The clear history of mala sauce is still unknown, but it is widely believed that people in Sichuan province, one of the poorest provinces in Chinese history, invented strong-tasting mala sauce to cover up rotten meats. Mala has quickly become the main characteristic of Sichuan cuisine and has an important role in Chinese cuisine.

It is still unknown when the Sichuanese invented this sauce. Some unreliable news reports suggested mala was invented in the early 20th century. It was also reported that some restaurants serve mala with poppy, and make it more addictive to customers.

Taiwan and Inner Mongolia also have their varieties of Mala sauce.

[edit] Dishes

• Mala hot pot (麻辣火鍋)
• Mala bunch (麻辣燙): Snack food, a bunch of vegetable made in Mala soup
• Mouth-watering ("drooling") chicken (口水雞): Cold chicken served in mala sauce.
• Couples' lung (夫妻肺片): Ox's scalp, tongue, abdomen, sometimes also lung, served with oily mala sauce

[edit] In popular culture

The adjective málà is also used in Mandarin slang to mean 'sexy', much like the word 'hot' in English. The Mandarin title of the animated series Kim Possible is Málà Nǚhái (麻辣女孩; literally 'numbing-hot girl').

[edit] See also

• Szechuan cuisine
• Mapo doufu