YuYu picked me up at the airport and swang by to one of our favorite restaurants in Naha.
Now that looks good. Sichuan “Mala” Hot Pot. I’m up for the hot spicy today.
“Mala” is a Sichuan flavor of hot. Red pepper and Sichuan pepper. To me, red pepper is like spanking hot, and Sichuan pepper is like stinging hot. When combined, it really feels like being hit by boiling water or something.
Starting off with our favorite salad. Pressed tofu, coriander and sprouts in Japanese pepper oil. Just a unique combination of flavors.
She loves Heartland Beer. 100% malt beer from Kirin.
This was a veggie dish. Enjoy crunchy texture and solid base flavor of mushrooms.
Wow… Sweet sour knuckle pork.
The pork is structured in a ball shape and deep fried. The sauce is well balanced sweet and sour of black vinegar aged aroma.
Here it comes. Sichuan Red Hot Pot.
OK… That is red. Apparently very hot. And our waiter confirmed that this is the hottest dish in their menu.
Let’s see… The pot is loaded with veggies. Fresh coriander is in the air. But the steam out of this pot is kind of stinging our eyes already.
We selected offals. Beef and fish are other options.
It was soooo good. It was soooo hot for sure but because it was so tasty, we found it somehow manageable. But we haven’t touched the soup yet.
And I did. This is Mala. Being hit by the boiling water, and firing back a flame out of my mouse.
But it’s not just hot. The soup is packed with flavor. I needed to remove red peppers and Sichuan peppers out of my china spoon before I sip on it, then it’s so delicious, within the range of my acceptance. I drained all the soup, except all the peppers. It was so good.
The Mala opened her appetite again, YuYu said. She ordered Dandan noodles.
It’s not so spicy as original Sichuan noodles. This one is not spicy. Seasoned with sesame oil and sesame paste, the soup is so dense and rich.
It’s definitely one of the best Dandan noodle (We call Tan Tan Men in Japanese) in Okinawa. But for our preference, we would like it better if it’s a little less dense and sweet.
But I could have only a few sips and bites since my mouse was still on fire.
As we checked out the place, we felt like we have just done a good workout.
Yang kyou fang
