Ma La Ban (Sweet & Sour Spicy Mixed Bowl)
The soup-free version of the hot pot! Junk rice with sesame sauce and "sweet and sour black vinegar"
Description
A massively viral B-grade gourmet among Chinese youth, originating in Fushun, Liaoning. Raw Hot Pot ingredients (meat, veg, fishballs) are boiled and drained. Instead of soup, they are violently tossed in a sweet-sour, soupless dressing of 'sesame paste, chili oil, massive black vinegar, and sugar'.
Restaurants serving Ma La Ban (Sweet & Sour Spicy Mixed Bowl)
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On this site you can check dictionary details and, later, places to buy or eat related items.
The Recipe section below is a general reference, not a recipe from the listed shops.
Recipe
Ingredients
- Any ingredients(Meat/Veg/Fishballs)
- Sesame paste(Zhi Ma Jiang)
- Black vinegar(massive)
- Sugar
- Chili oil
- Sichuan pepper
- Garlic
Instructions
- [Authentic Recipe & Trends]
- (Ingredients) Diners pick favorites: sliced beef, spam, dried tofu skin, lotus root, enoki, crab sticks, fishballs, instant ramen (or glass noodles).
- (Boiling) Boil them in 'plain water' until fully cooked. Drain completely.
- (The Sauce - This is Everything) In a massive bowl, mix sesame paste, soy, salt, MSG, homemade chili oil, Sichuan pepper, and grated garlic.
- [The Ultimate Point - Fushun Style]: Dump in 'massive Black Vinegar (Lao Chen Cu)' and 'generous Sugar'. Unlike Sichuan Ma La, this prominent 'Sweet and Sour (Suan Tian)' profile is the absolute defining feature.
- Drop the hot, drained ingredients into the bowl.
- Top with crushed peanuts, white sesame, and cilantro. Toss violently until the thick sauce completely glazes everything.
Learn more Spice, substitutes, tips
Key spices
Intense sweet-sourness of black vinegar & sugar、Sesame depth
Substitutes at Japanese supermarkets
(Add black vinegar, chili oil, and sugar to sesame dressing)
Pairing
Cold Milk Tea / Carbonated Drinks
Trivia
[Trivia] 'Ban' means to mix/toss. Because there is no soup, noodles don't get soggy and flavors don't dilute during delivery. This crowned it the 'Ultimate Delivery Food' among Chinese youth, exploding in popularity even beyond Ma La Tang.
Eating tips & etiquette
[Unique Eating] Served in a large bowl. Lacking soup, the flavor hits your tongue directly. The simultaneous rush of 'Sweet, Sour, Spicy, Numbing, and Roasted' confuses your brain in the best way possible, making it impossible to stop eating.
Allergen
Wheat, Soybeans, Sesame (depends on ingredients)