Tingling Spicy Hot Pot (麻辣烫má là tàng)
Málàtàng is originally from
Sichuan province, but has spread to a lot of cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and I'm sure plenty of others.
Málàtàng seems to be more of a magnet than most other highly addictive street food. Most likely it's because of the number of choices you get. Shrimp, fish balls, tofu, bean curd, lotus root, mushrooms, chicken, beef tendon, noodles, and much more get cooked in a pot of steaming broth laced with Sichuan peppers and sesame oil. You get a plate or take-out container and make your selection either blindly or informed, by asking nicely and trying to remember if there's a chapter on animal parts in your phrasebook. No matter, because everything is cooked through and more often than not, delicious. At 1 RMB or 0.5 RMB per skewer, you can have a light snack for 3 RMB or stuff yourself for 10 RMB.
*鱼丸 yúwán: fish meat ball
*豆腐 dòufu: bean curd, tofu
*蘑菇 mógu: mushrooms
*粉丝 fěn sī： bean starch noodles
*不要辣椒 búyào làjiāo: no chili sauce
