More than meets the eye
In the analysis of Hsiung Nai-kang, a radio producer who once ran a mala hotpot restaurant herself, in 20 years of development in Taiwan mala hotpot has undergone continuous improvements and innovations to adapt it to changing local tastes, and the market has reached a state of stability and saturation.
"Among the old-established mala hotpot restaurants, Ning Chi has a rather savory taste, Shen Chi is on the sweet side, and Wu Chi has a balanced flavor," says Hsiung. "The better known newer establishments seek to attract patrons with more diverse ingredients, a milder or more innovative taste, or a one-price, all-you-can-eat buffet setup. Examples would be Dujiare Penjing, Fuqi Feipian, Tianlazi and Hongjiujiu. As for places like Taihedian and Zhiweiguan which are so popular with Hong Kong entertainment stars, they attract consumers more on the strength of their swanky interior design and service."
Though the exact recipe of each restaurant's mala stock is a closely guarded secret, the main ingredients are generally chillies, Sichuan peppercorns, fermented soya beans, chilli-and-bean sauce, ginger, and garlic.
"The same flavorings may be used in different ways," says Liu Yun-chung. "Dried chillies are very strong and are used to make chilli oil; powdered chilli dissolves easily, so it is used in soup; while fresh chillies have a natural aroma which enhances other flavors." He reveals that at Ning Chi Sichuan peppercorns are fried in oil to flavor it, then discarded, leaving the oil. Other ingredients include star anise, fennel, dried tangerine peel, chuanxiong, sugar cane heads and sorghum spirit.
The parents of singer Chyi Chin are from Harbin in northeastern China, and all his family love spicy food. The restaurant which he owns with his elder brother Chyi Lu makes spiciness its main selling point: its name, Chyi La, means "Chyi Hot." Chyi Lu, who does the cooking, says that using spices requires sensitivity and creativity: "If you want a more 'ma' taste, add more Sichuan peppercorns; if you want it hotter, add more chillies. But what matters is a full flavor, and that depends on your skill in making the chilli and Sichuan peppercorn oils, and combining the spices." As well as chillies, Sichuan peppercorns and pepper, Chyi keeps over 20 different Chinese medicinal herbs at the ready. "Chillies and Sichuan peppercorns go well with red meats like beef and pork; pepper goes better with seafood." For seafood such as fresh prawns, sashimi and shellfish, he produces a white mala hotpot stock with black and white pepper as the main spices which has become one of Chyi La's most popular specialities.
Once the stock has been boiled and flavored, great attention is also paid to the ingredients which fill the bottom of the hotpot. The most important of these are duck blood and tofu, popularly known as "red and white tofu" because the cakes of cooked duck blood have a similar texture to tofu. These must be fresh and clean, firm on the outside but tender on the inside, and the tofu in particular should be slab tofu made in the traditional way, because it absorbs the soup, so that when one bites into it the hot, spicy, flavorsome stock immediately gushes out, filling one's mouth.
As for the other ingredients "for the pot," it is best to use ones which stand boiling, such as tripe, beef tendon and pork intestines, along with deep-fried Sichuan-style meatballs made of ground pork mixed with tofu, spring onions, ginger and garlic. "The worst thing you can do to mala hotpot is to put in the fish balls, egg dumplings, seafood and so on which are often used in hotpot today. The stock is made with beef bones, so the main ingredients should be beef and pork offal, such as tripe, beef tendon, lungs and fatty intestines." Liu Yun-chung feels that those ingredients which take a long time to boil tender should first be simmered for three hours or more in a savory stewing broth before being sliced and added to the hotpot at the start of the meal, or they will be far too tough.
"After these ingredients go in the pot, don't fish them out immediately-wait until you have finished quick-boiling and eating the sliced beef. Only then will the slower-cooking ingredients be soft, succulent and full of flavor," says Liang You-hsiang, explaining the proper way to eat mala hotpot.
run by well-known singer Chyi Chin and his elder brother Chyi Lu (left). Their restaurant naturally attracts many entertainment-world colleagues as patrons.