Mala Xiangguo
Mala Xiangguo is a Chinese stir-fry made by cooking meat or seafood with assorted vegetables in a lip-tingling spicy mala sauce. Once you fall for its addictive spicy, numbing flavor, you'll find yourself craving it again and again.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Beef (for bulgogi)180g
- Shrimp5
- Dried beancurd stick (fuzhu)As needed
- Flat glass noodlesA little
- Square fish cake2 slices
- Bok choy2 heads
- King oyster mushroom1
- Green onion1/2 stalk
Sauce & Seasoning
- Minced garlic1 tbsp
- Cooking oil2 tbsp
- Red pepper flakes (gochugaru)1/2 tbsp
- WaterA little
- Mala sauce2 tbsp
Directions
- 1
Soak the fuzhu (dried beancurd stick) and flat glass noodles in lukewarm water about 2 hours ahead of time. The noodles can be boiled instead of soaked, but the fuzhu must be soaked.
- 2
After thawing frozen shrimp, remove the water sac near the tail, and trim off the pointed mouth part and the head horn. Poke a toothpick into the second or third segment on the back and lift it up to remove the vein as well.
- 3
Pat the beef dry with a paper towel to remove excess blood, then cut it into 2-3 pieces for easy eating. You can swap the beef for shaved pork belly or beef brisket instead.
- 4
Cut the square fish cake and king oyster mushroom to your liking, and set aside the soaked fuzhu and glass noodles. Feel free to add sausage, other mushrooms, or bean sprouts as well.
- 5
Trim the base off the bok choy and wash it thoroughly, thinly slice the green onion for the scallion oil, and prepare 1 tbsp of minced garlic.
- 6
In a wok, heat 2 tbsp of cooking oil with the minced garlic and green onion first to make scallion oil.
- 7
Stir-fry over medium-low heat so it doesn't burn, and once the green onion turns slightly golden, add 1/2 tbsp of red pepper flakes and stir-fry to make chili oil.
- 8
Once the pepper flakes are well blended into the oil, push it to one side, then add the beef on one side of the pan and the shrimp on the other, cooking each separately.
- 9
Once the beef is fully cooked, add the fish cake, king oyster mushroom, soaked glass noodles, and fuzhu, then stir-fry everything together evenly.
- 10
Once the mushrooms have softened slightly, don't add all the mala sauce at once—start with about 2 tbsp, stir-fry, taste, and add a little more if it's too bland.
- 11
Add a little water if things look too dry, and once seasoned to taste, add the bok choy last and stir-fry for about 10 seconds to finish. If using bean sprouts or enoki mushrooms, add them at this point as well.
- 12
Plate it up so it looks appetizing. Placing the shrimp on top makes for a much nicer presentation.
Tips
It may seem complicated the first time you make it, but once you have the ingredients ready, you can enjoy it even more generously and cleanly than store-bought versions. It also makes a great simple drinking snack or a dish to serve guests, so give it a try.