Fragrant Pot

Everything changes.  But I think the rate at which things change is a little faster here in the Middle Kingdom.  New stores pop up faster than pimples on a teenager and old ones go just as quickly.  I still remember the first time we took a trip back to the States.  We weren't gone for long, just one month.  But when we returned we didn't even recognize our apartment complex.  It had changed that much in one month's time. 

Sometimes these changes are disappointing.  Like yesterday when I tried to buy some new shoes for Noah that I had priced the day before, only to find that they had, very literally, pack up shop and were no longer in business.  Or like last week when I went to eat lunch at the little market next to my school and then discovered that the ENTIRE market had been shut down. 

But other times these changes are good.  Just recently the take-out restaurant next to our house [yes I'm aware of the irony of  eating Chinese take-out in China, but unfortunately it never comes in that cool white and red box, nor are fortune cookies involved] remodeled their facilities to try and draw in more sit down customers.  Our family has been going there for a couple of weeks now and we like the changes they have made.  But it wasn't until today that we noticed that on their new menu was our favorite Chinese dish "mala xiangguo". 

I don't know why, but it seems like this dish has not really caught on among the expat community.  In fact, when I talk to most of my friends about it I usually get this blank stare as if they're saying "malawhoawhat'sit"? So today I thought I'd write a blog about what it is and how to order it. 

First, let's attempt to give it a name.  Jenni and I just call it fragrant pot, that's the best my Chinese could muster when first introduced to the dish.  But maybe a more literal name would be "numbing hot fragrant pot".  But let's face it, neither sounds very good.  One sounds like a "candle" you'd find in the sanlitun area and the other sounds like something you'd hear at a professional pepper eating contest, if such a thing exists.  I've heard someone call it a “dry hot pot”, but I think that really does the dish a disservice.  So maybe we should just stick to the chinese name, hey it works for Chuanr.  Then again, Chuanr is easier to pronounce than mala xiangguo [麻辣香锅].  For the sake of simplicity and habit I'll refer to the dish as "fragrant pot".

 Ordering fragrant pot can be somewhat tricky if your Chinese is poor, unless you are fortunate enough to go to one of the restaurants have the food on hand for you to pick.  In China most menus come with pictures but not fragrant pot, that would be too easy.  Basically you will be given a menu with a long list of meats and veggies.  First pick your meat/meats, then your vegetables and finally tell them how hot you want it.  Jenni and I tried the hottest once, by accident, and paid dearly for it the next day.  When deciding how hot you want it remember that this is a sichuan dish!  Unless your taste-buds were seared as a child I'd recommend you only get it a little hot [一点辣］ and not "I want to die" hot [特辣].

After you finish ordering the chef will combine your choices with ginger, garlic, lots of red pepper, oil, cilantro and other seasonings, put all that in a wok and cook it up for you.  Depending on the restaurant, the finished product will either be served in a big metal bowl or some beautiful chinese decorative bowl.  Be sure when ordering to order some rice!  This really helps with the spiciness.  Also, Jenni and I like the flavor of Si Chuan Peppercorn [aka the ma in mala xiangguo] but hate biting down on one; so we ask them to cook without it.  Just tell them: bu fang huajiao [不放花椒].  When cooking at home, we'll use sichuan peppercorn to flavor the oil and then sift them out before we start adding other ingredients.

sichuan peppercorn

Here's a list of things that we usually get in our fragrant pot:

Beef (牛肉), Lamb (羊肉), Chicken (鸡肉).  Of course there are other meats you could order, like bullfrog or chicken hearts, etc. but that's not really our style. Cabbage (圆白菜), Potato (土豆) or (土豆条), Broccoli (西兰花) Green Beans (豆角),  Mushrooms (蘑菇).  Other veggies would include Wide Vermicelli Noodles (宽粉)， Tofu skin (油豆皮)， Sweet Potato (红薯)，Bamboo shoots (青笋).  The list goes on and on...and on.  If you know your favorite meats and vegetables and know how to say that in Chinese, then you should be good.  The tricky part is ordering the right amount, but usually the servers will let you know if you've not ordered enough or if you're ordering too much.  Be prepared to spend anywhere from 20-50 kuai per person.  Our meal today was 100 kuai, but that included three drinks, a side dish of sweet potatoes and a plate of broccoli for Nate. 

Now all you need to know is where to find a fragrant pot restaurant.  Odds are there is one near by your house, they have become really popular among Chinese over the past few years.  You just have to know what you're looking for.  Look for anything that says 麻辣香锅, 川成元, 一麻一辣 or 麻里麻里.  If a restaurant has pictures of  an assortment of meat and vegetables in a bowl mixed with red peppers, then odds are they have it.  Just ask the server: ni you mei you mala xiangguo [你有没有麻辣香锅]?

胡吃海喝,

托马斯