The most important part of making mala tang is the soup base.
Ruyi specially used two second-generation hybrid chickens with phoenix tails, several kilograms of pork bones and pork leg meat, along with seasonings such as scallions, ginger, and wine, to slowly simmer the broth over low heat. Finally, she added a spicy and flavorful sauce made by stir-frying spices such as star anise, bay leaves, cinnamon, fennel, peppercorns, and black pepper, and brought it to a boil over high heat.
In that instant, the entire courtyard was filled with a fragrant aroma. The spicy smell was particularly overpowering, causing those who were not yet used to spicy food to sneeze in succession. For a moment, everyone curiously gathered near the kitchen, eager to know what was being cooked, as they had never smelled anything like it before!
After preparing the soup base, the rest of the ingredients are not too difficult. It simply involves spending some time making several kinds of meatballs, such as shrimp balls, fish balls, and pork balls, by hand, as well as thinly sliced lamb and rabbit meat, along with various seasonal vegetables, mushrooms, and bean products. Finally, noodles and rice noodles are also prepared as staple foods.
The table was filled with dozens of side dishes, a dazzling array that left everyone mesmerized.
Since many people are eating spicy food for the first time, Ruyi didn't dare to add too much spicy seasoning. She thought she would try it first to see if everyone could accept it. If it really didn't work, there was also ordinary broth without spices.
She had tasted it herself and felt that it was just the tip of the iceberg compared to modern spicy hot pot. Of course, she herself liked spicy food, so her senses were different from those who had never eaten spicy food before.
Everyone in the villa had great faith in Cheng Ruyi's culinary skills. Over the past year, she had prepared different fresh and delicious dishes every now and then. Therefore, no one doubted the bright red soup base. After hearing her explain how to eat it, they all tried it.
Actually, this way of eating is similar to hot pot, which is not a new thing in Dayue. Their family has eaten it several times, and everyone is very familiar with how to do it.
Actually, she had considered starting a hot pot restaurant before, but considering that eating a hot pot meal would take too long, and that she would need to rearrange the venue and decorate it, and more importantly, that it wouldn't be a snack stall anymore, which didn't align with her original intention of selling convenient and quick food, she gave up on that idea.
Although Cheng Ruyi had prepared herself for the possibility that people would not be able to accept it, she did not expect that almost everyone would start coughing immediately after taking the first bite, and Cheng Yunping even couldn't help but spit out the meatball.
Xu Cui's reaction was the most exaggerated. She jumped around with her mouth wide open, complaining, "Ouch, it's so spicy! Cough cough cough, I can't take it anymore! How much dogwood and Sichuan peppercorn did you put in?! My God~~ Ruyi, my throat feels like it's on fire! No! I can't feel my mouth and tongue. Ruyi, is the mushroom poisonous?! Quick, I need to find a doctor!"
"The mushrooms aren't poisonous, they're just common mushrooms. You probably ate some Sichuan peppercorns and got a tingling sensation from the spiciness. It's okay, it'll be fine in a bit." Ruyi reassured the frightened group while picking up a mushroom and taking a bite herself. "Tear~~ So fresh and spicy, it's really delicious. See, you're all alright now. Aunt Cui is just having her first time eating it and is a little unaccustomed to it."
Ruyi had anticipated this situation, so before cooking the spicy hot pot, she specially cooked a large pot of ice jelly and kept it chilled in the snow outside.
Seeing that no one dared to eat anymore and was just frantically looking for water, she had no choice but to go outside and fill everyone's bowls with ice jelly that was both icy cold and sweet. The group finished the whole bowl of ice jelly in a sorry state before they felt alive again.
Seeing this, Ruyi had no choice but to take out the spicy seasoning packet from the hot pot and add a large bowl of pre-prepared clear broth to balance it out and reduce the spiciness.
Once the soup pot boiled again, she tasted it first and felt that the spiciness had been reduced by at least half before letting everyone continue to try it.
Although the Cheng family members were frightened by the spicy and pungent smell, they saw that the soup pot in front of them was no longer as frighteningly red as before, and out of trust in Ruyi, they still obliged to pick up food from the soup pot again.
Cheng Ruyi couldn't help but find it a little funny to see everyone's expressions of resignation. She should have tried making some spicy dishes beforehand to prepare them for the future and let them gradually get used to it, so that things wouldn't be like this now.
After seeing such a reaction, she began to have some doubts. Could she really make Mala Tang? If the people in the county all had such a light taste, then she could only make non-spicy broth, but could that still be called Mala Tang?
Fortunately, after reducing the spiciness, it unexpectedly received unanimous praise.
Having learned from her previous experience, Xu Cui took a small bite first, and then found it acceptable before swallowing the meatball whole. Unexpectedly, the more she ate, the more delicious it became.
She looked at Ruyi with a puzzled expression and said, "Hmm? It seems... quite delicious! It has a fresh and fragrant aroma... Hmm, I'm not sure, let me try some others!"
Encouraged by Xu Cui's words, everyone began to savor the food seriously.
"Mmm~~~ Not bad! The more you eat, the more flavorful it becomes. The first bite is the freshness of the food, and after swallowing, there is a spicy and fragrant taste. This experience is amazing!" Cheng Yan was surprised to accept it so quickly and kept eating bite after bite.
However, some people still couldn't accept it, such as Cheng Yunping. Although he was able to eat it the second time, he couldn't help coughing: "Cough cough cough! Am I the only one who thinks it's still too spicy? Water! I need to drink water!"
"Here, drink slowly!" Lin Xiaoman thoughtfully handed the tea to her husband, then picked up a slice of mutton and happily began to eat. "I think it's quite delicious. Although my mouth is a little numb, the more I eat, the more I want to eat, and the more fragrant it becomes!"
"Really?" Cheng Yunping looked at Xiaoman in disbelief, then looked at the other family members and found that everyone was eating one bite after another, and they seemed to enjoy it. Suddenly, he couldn't help but doubt himself.
So he mustered up his courage and tried again, but found that he still couldn't accept it and kept coughing after eating it.
If that's the case, she let Yunping go to the side and eat the non-spicy broth hot pot with Yunle. Some people are just born unable to tolerate spicy food, perhaps due to physical or psychological reasons. This is normal, and something she had anticipated.
Apart from Cheng Yunping being unable to eat spicy food and Yunle being too young to eat spicy food, the rest of the Cheng family members accepted the mildly spicy "mala tang" well and found it very exciting and novel, even wanting to eat it again after finishing it.
A few days later, Ruyi cooked another big pot, and this time she invited everyone in the villa to try it, including the female workers in the shops on the main road.
Learning from her previous experience, she prepared three different hot pot bases: non-spicy, mildly spicy, and regularly spicy.
The results were largely in line with expectations. Most people could accept the mildly spicy broth and said the taste was amazing. About a third of the people said they could not accept it at all, coughing as soon as they ate it, and some even had stomach aches!
To Ruyi's surprise, three people said they loved the regular spicy food the most. Although they were so spicy that they had runny noses and coughed, they thought the taste was amazing. They felt warm after eating it and even took off their coats because they were so hot.
Furthermore, the Cheng family members were noticeably more accepting of the food the second time they ate it. They would occasionally ate some of the food from the regular spicy hot pot, and if they found it too spicy, they would come back for the mild version.
Seeing this situation, Ruyi had a general plan in mind.
On the fifth day of the eleventh lunar month, the snow that had been falling for several days finally stopped, and the sky was unusually blue, with sunlight occasionally filtering through the clouds.
After staying at home for so long, the people in the county town couldn't help but go out for some fresh air. Some people were drying clothes and quilts, while others were cleaning up the snow on the rooftops and in front of their doors. In an instant, the whole county town seemed to come alive, and the streets were bustling with noise and activity.
Chengjia Snack Shop also officially launched a new dish today: Mala Tang (spicy hot pot).
Lin Xiaoman first heated up the soup base that Ruyi had cooked early in the morning, then took out the spicy spices she had prepared and stir-fried them. The stimulating aroma instantly filled the entire street.
As the flavor intensified, Xiaoman poured the seasonings into the broth and mixed them together. The pungent flavor was immediately covered by the rich aroma, and the domineering smell gradually became more and more fragrant and wafted further and further as it simmered.
Anyone passing by was drawn in by the aroma and couldn't help but search for its source. In addition, many people in the county were regulars at the snack shop and would try any new dishes it offered as soon as they were released. So, in no time, a large crowd gathered outside the shop.
Everyone entered the shop with curiosity and anticipation, only to find five stoves in the kitchen, each with a large pot of soup simmering on it. The magical aroma was emanating from four of the fiery red pots.
The long table next to the kitchen was filled with dozens of different kinds of food, including vegetables and meat. Most of them were familiar, but some seemed to have never been seen before. This display was something that the people of the county had never seen before, so everyone was immediately very curious. The regular customers trusted the Cheng family's cooking skills and ordered a dish without even asking.
Xu Cui then stepped forward and explained the situation to everyone, and specifically reminded those who couldn't eat spicy food that they could choose the original broth, which was just as delicious.
After hearing the explanation, most of the regular customers and locals were eager to take on the challenge, and almost everyone chose the spicy soup base, determined to see just how exciting it was.
For the rest of the day, whenever you walked near Wutong Lane, you could smell a pungent and strong fragrance, accompanied by a chorus of coughs...
The county town was small, so the news that Cheng's Snack Shop had come up with something new and exciting spread throughout the town within a day. They didn't need to do any special promotion; customers flocked to the shop every day.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com