MALA BAN (Spicy Mix): The Fiery Delights of Sichuan Cuisine

If there is one thing that me and my husband are always down to eat for dinner, it is MALA BAN!

Mala Ban (麻辣拌), also known as Spicy Mix, originates from the vibrant and fiery cuisine of Sichuan province in southwestern China. Think of Mala Ban as a love child between hot pot and spicy garlic noodles.

The numbing and spicy sauce tastes good with literally EVERYTHING. The best part about Mala Ban is that everyone can customize their sauce and ingredients, so it is vegetarian-friendly!  

Mala Ban translates to “numbing spicy mix,” is a famous Sichuan dish that has been going VIRAL in Asia.

“Ma” refers to numbing, and “La” refers to spicy. There are many different ways to make the sauce for MALA BAN, and you can adjust the amount of spicy and numbness depending on your liking.

The spicy comes from red chili flakes and chili oil, while the numbing comes from grounded Sichuan peppercorn, so adjust these two based on your preference!

Another ingredient that is super important in Mala Ban is sesame paste. Sesame paste is what gives the sauce the creamy texture, which completes the “Mala” flavors perfectly! 

I love that you can customize Mala Ban to your diet and whatever you have in the fridge.

When my husband and I dont know what we want for dinner, we will opt to make Mala Ban so we can customize it based on our liking.

To be honest … it is one of my favorite ways to enjoy vegetables, as the creamy mala ban sauce pairs so perfectly with any vegetables I have in the fridge.

Similar to a hot pot, you blanch any ingredients of your choice, such as meats (thinly sliced chicken, pork, beef, or lamb), fish balls, seafood (shrimp, crab, clams), vegetables (napa cabbage, enoki mushrooms, lotus roots), noodles (vermicelli, udon, instant noodles), tofu options.

Since Mala Ban is so versatile in today’s recipe, I will be sharing the sauce, and you can drizzle it on top of everything and enjoy!

I also feature my HOMEMADE CHILI OIL in this recipe, which is DELICIOUS, and adds tons of flavor, but you can also swap it for any chili oil of your choice. If you are interested in making HOMEMADE CHILI OIL, I have an easy recipe as well!

I drizzle my Homemade Chili Oil on EVERYTHING because I promise it is the best chili oil you will ever try! It is super easy to make, and unlike other recipes, there will be no waste with this recipe. We will be blending up all the garlic, spices, and herbs to take this chili oil to a whole other level.

Do you want more EASY recipes? Here are some of my go-to recipes that you will LOVE! 

• Beef Rice Bowl (20 Minutes!)
• Soy Sauce Pan-fried Noodles (15 Minutes!)
• Taiwanese 3 Cup Chicken Wings
• Creamy Sesame Pasta Salad

Ingredients

Chili Sauce 

• 4 cloves garlic, minced 
• 2 Green onion, thinly sliced 
• 0.5 tablespoon Roasted Sesame Seeds
• 0.5-1 tablespoon ground sichuan peppercorn, adjust to your spice preference
• 1 – 1.5 tablespoons Korean Red Chili Flakes, adjust to your spice preference
• A pinch of sea salt 
• 1 tablespoon Homemade Chili Oil
• 4 tablespoon oil, high smoke point recommend I use vegetable or grapeseed oil 

Sesame Paste 

• 1.5 tablespoon roasted sesame paste 
• ¼ cup of hot water; I use the blanched ingredient broth 
• 2 tablespoon Soy Sauce
• 1.5 tablespoons Black Vinegar 

1. Prepare by blanching any vegetable, protein, and carbs of your choice. I love napa cabbage, mushrooms, and bok choy for vegetables, fish balls, and thinly sliced meat for protein. For carbs, I usually use instant noodles. 
2. Add garlic, green onion, roasted sesame seeds, ground Sichuan peppercorn, Korean red chili flakes, sea salt, and homemade chili oil in a bowl to make the chili sauce. Heat 4 tablespoons of oil and pour it on top of the ingredients. Mix well
3. Mix roasted sesame paste, soy sauce, black vinegar, and hot water for the sesame paste. Mix everything till smooth. 
4. Combine the sesame paste and chili sauce, and that’s it! 
5. Drizzle the sauce on top of the blanched ingredients, and enjoy! 

Print

MALA BAN (Spicy Mix)

Think of Mala Ban as a love child between hot pot and spicy garlic noodles. The numbing and spicy sauce tastes good with literally EVERYTHING. The best part about Mala Ban is that everyone can customize their sauce and ingredients, so it is vegetarian-friendly!

Prep Time10 mins

Active Time10 mins

Keyword: 20 Minute Recipes, asian dinner, Asian Food, Asian Recipe Easy, Asian Recipes, Chili Oil, easy dinner, Easy Recipes, mala, sesame paste, Spicy, spicy food, vegetarian dinner, Vegetarian Recipes

Materials

Chili Sauce

• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 2 Green onion thinly sliced
• 0.5 tablespoon Roasted Sesame Seeds
• 0.5-1 tablespoon ground sichuan peppercorn adjust to your spice preference
• 1 – 1.5 tablespoons Korean Red Chili Flakes adjust to your spice preference
• A pinch of sea salt
• 1 tablespoon Homemade Chili Oil
• 4 tablespoon oil high smoke point recommend I use vegetable or grapeseed oil

Sesame Paste

• 1.5 tablespoon roasted sesame paste
• ¼ cup of hot water; I use the blanched ingredient broth
• 2 tablespoon Soy Sauce
• 1.5 tablespoons Black Vinegar

Instructions

• Prepare by blanching any vegetable, protein, and carbs of your choice. I love napa cabbage, mushrooms, and bok choy for vegetables, fish balls, and thinly sliced meat for protein. For carbs, I usually use instant noodles.
• Add garlic, green onion, roasted sesame seeds, ground Sichuan peppercorn, Korean red chili flakes, sea salt, and homemade chili oil in a bowl to make the chili sauce. Heat 4 tablespoons of oil and pour it on top of the ingredients. Mix well
• Mix roasted sesame paste, soy sauce, black vinegar, and hot water for the sesame paste. Mix everything till smooth.
• Combine the sesame paste and chili sauce, and that’s it!
• Drizzle the sauce on top of the blanched ingredients, and enjoy!