麻辣烫 Malatang



This is a good example of a Chinese fast food. It’s cheap (3元), convenient and pretty healthy.

There are many of these places all over Changchun, some are restaurants but most are just hole-in-the-wall type outlets. Very near to where I work there must be at least four different malatang establishments and they are always packed at lunchtime. Unfortunately I’m not really a fan malatang but i’m trying to like it! 🙂
Malatang literally translates as ‘hot hot hot’ which really has no real meaning in English beyond expressing somthing spicy.

It’s like ordering from a canteen, you tell the person what you want – extra this, not too much of that – and then you choose what type of noodle you’re interested in. The spices and various sauces are then put into a bowl lined with a plastic bag. Then the noodles and veg are mixed up and boiled in a basket like contraption especially for the job. Wait about 30 seconds and the veg is done ready to be mixed with the sauces in the plastic bag, it’s all very simple and fast.sauces

I just wonder whether this could become popular in the west, afterall its very healthy compared to more traditional fast food. One problem may be that many of the vegetables used I have never seen outside China before and I wonder if its possible to find these (beyond digging up weeds from peoples gardens) on the market at a reasonable price.


Go to the main page
anyShare分享到:

8 thoughts on “麻辣烫 Malatang

  1. Malatang, mmm…. yummy, i missed that. by the way, i enjoyed your writing, very interesting and informative, Changchun is my hometown, I hope you enjoy your time there.

  2. Malatang, mmm…. yummy, i missed that. by the way, i enjoyed your writing, very interesting and informative, Changchun is my hometown, I hope you enjoy your time there.

  3. still remember the expression on your face when i suggested eating malatang :sad:,it seems unbelievable to me that you are trying to like it :grin:.i’m not a spicy food lover but i like malatang hope you will like it, too.

  4. still remember the expression on your face when i suggested eating malatang :sad:,it seems unbelievable to me that you are trying to like it :grin:.i’m not a spicy food lover but i like malatang hope you will like it, too.

  5. 🙂
    I have taken a quick look at your blog on teaching part. Good suggestions to those who are willing to teach here in China
    Look,are you or any of your friends interested in teaching English in Dalian?
    Our university wants foreign teachers teaching oral English with about 16 classes per week. Dongbei university of finance and ecomonics is located in Dalian a beautiful coastal city.
    For further information please contact ding915@yahoo.com

  6. 🙂
    I have taken a quick look at your blog on teaching part. Good suggestions to those who are willing to teach here in China
    Look,are you or any of your friends interested in teaching English in Dalian?
    Our university wants foreign teachers teaching oral English with about 16 classes per week. Dongbei university of finance and ecomonics is located in Dalian a beautiful coastal city.
    For further information please contact ding915@yahoo.com

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *