Hungry Guide 18 Aug 21

The Secret Behind the Spices ‘MALA’-2

‘Mala’ is the most hyped-about spice of this season. With its spiciness that seems to secure a special spot in the heart of Thais, did you know that ‘MALA’ isn’t just a type of chili? It’s a combination of many spices and herbs. And that tongue-numbing flavour is from a special ingredient called “Huājiāo”, or Szechuan peppers.

‘Huājiāo’ is a spice commonly used in Szechuan cuisine, where the food is known for its spiciness. The spice gives off a tingling and numbing effect and pungent aromatic smell. Together with Chili peppers, Huājiāo then became what you know as ‘Mala’. And the word Mala itself is self-descriptive: “Ma” means tongue-numbing and “La” means spiciness.

For Szechuan cuisine, Mala is a staple spice for the kitchen, as it can be used for soup, stir fry, to grills. It’s mostly used for lamb and mutton to cover its unique smell, and to help bring out the flavours of other ingredients.

Underneath the numbing flavour of Mala, there are health benefits to it as well: it helps stimulate the digestive system and reduces bloating and inflammation. It is also high in iron which helps with the function of red blood cells; zinc to boost immune system; and potassium to reduce blood pressure and cholesterol. That’s not all, it contains antioxidants to reduce inflammation and the aroma reduces sinus symptoms.

After knowing what it is and its benefits, doesn’t that make you crave it even more?

Check out these places which serve Mala!

Hai Di Lao

The original Szechuan hotpot. If you wanna discover the original recipe from Szechuan then you gotta try this one!

Seven Sins

Among the 7 soup choices available at this place, there exists one of the human’s greatest sin: ‘Envy’ , which is Mala soup. It’s sinful, but it’s so worth it!

COCA Restaurant

Most already know this place for its premium sukiyaki. Still, they can’t miss out on this Mala trend either, so order their Mala soup together with the US Prime Spicy Mala set!

LT FISH Restaurant

Another Szechuan restaurant, where Mala was born. You all need to try their “Mala Fish Soup with Pickled Cabbage” and you will not believe how Mala and pickled vegetable can go so well together.

Bonchon

And you thought their usual spicy sauce was spicy? Try these 5 special Mala menu including Mala Fried Chicken, Mala Fried chicken skin, Mala Kimchi Soup, Mala Fried Chicken Joint and Crispy Mala Squid. There’s got to be something that fits your Mala needs!

Don’t call yourself a spice queen if you haven’t tried Mala…Just give these restaurants a try, and embrace the tingly warmth from Mala!

Gallery