In China I ate: Malatang (麻辣烫)

I had the good chance of going to school in China on a scholarship for a year. Was sent to study Mandarin Chinese in Jimei, which is a district in the city of Xiamen, located in the province of Fujian. As someone who loves to try different kinds of food, I was excited to be going to a country where food is a huge part of daily life. Who hasn't heard of succulent Peking duck or famous Sichuan chicken? In Indonesia, where I come from, Chinese food abound and it is as if they have become a part of the culture.

So imagine my disappointment when I first arrived there and tasted the local food, only to find that Fujian cuisine is somewhat bland and mild. Coming from a tropical country where an overwhelming amount of spices in food is the norm, it takes a bit of an adjustment to get used to Fujian food. Not that all Chinese food are bland, but it was my lack of knowledge of the local delicacies that kept me in the dark.

After a month on a very unhealthy diet of McDonalds and KFC, a friend took me to a restaurant near the school called Chongqing Malatang (重庆麻辣烫) which served Malatang, broth which can be filled with just about anything under the sun. Malatang is so tasty that I shouted "oh my good lord, there are spicy and tasty foods in Xiamen!"

Malatang is a really popular street food in the Northern part of China, but apparently it originated from Sichuan Province, except that in Sichuan it looks more like hot pot. Malatang, on the other hand, uses a mild spicy broth. At the restaurant near my school, we were able to choose if we wanted to add minced garlic, dried chili peppers, mala peppercorn (aka Sichuan peppercorn which is spicy and tongue-numbing at the same time), and salt.

Usually at Malatang stands there would be vegetables, meats, and tofus on skewers laid out on the food stand, and we are able to choose whichever ingredient we would want to be put in our soup. A vegetable item would usually cost 1 RMB, meats would range from 2 to 4 RMB. I loved putting in Chinese spinach (kangkung in Indonesian or kongxincai 空心菜 in Mandarin), tofu skin, quail eggs, coriander leaves, tomatoes, and lettuce. Malatang stands would also normally have a wide variety of noodles: dried ones, fresh ones, thin or thick ones. 

Afterwards, the chef would put all the ingredients we've chosen into a large pot with the broth and cook everything in it. Spicy and filling, this dish makes a perfect dinner on cold winter nights. 

I have heard of a malatang restaurant somewhere in Kelapa Gading, Jakarta, but I haven't had the chance to try it out.