A fiery Sichuan street food soup where diners select their own skewered ingredients to be cooked in a rich, numbing-spicy broth loaded with Sichuan peppercorns, dried chilies, and aromatic spices. Each bowl is a personalized combination of vegetables, tofu, and noodles.
1Toast Sichuan peppercorns and dried chilies in a dry wok over low heat for two minutes until fragrant and the peppercorns begin to release their numbing aroma.
2Heat oil in a large pot, fry the toasted spices with doubanjiang, garlic, ginger, star anise, and cinnamon for three minutes until the oil turns a deep red and becomes intensely aromatic.
3Pour in stock and bring to a rolling boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for fifteen minutes to develop a complex, layered broth.
4Thread tofu, vegetables, and mushrooms onto bamboo skewers, arranging them by cooking time with dense vegetables first and leafy greens last.
5Lower skewers into the simmering broth in stages, cooking each for two to five minutes depending on density, while separately softening sweet potato noodles in the broth.
6Serve by placing cooked ingredients and noodles in bowls, ladling broth over top, and finishing with sesame paste, soy sauce, and fresh cilantro.
Did You Know?
Ma la tang literally means numb spicy hot, describing the three essential characteristics of the dish. The numbing sensation comes from Sichuan peppercorns which contain hydroxy-alpha-sanshool, a compound that literally vibrates on your tongue at a frequency of about fifty hertz.