• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Asian Caucasian Food Blog
  • Home
  • All Recipes
  • About Us
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
  • RECIPES
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • SUBSCRIBE
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • RECIPES
    • ABOUT
    • CONTACT
    • SUBSCRIBE
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Dips and Sauces

    Mala Hot Sauce

    July 18, 2022 · Published: November 13, 2017 By: Asian Caucasian Leave a Comment

    A large spoon filled with Mala hot sauce on top of a round blue plate

    Cheers to Tiffany, our guest food blogger with Choo Choo Ca-Chew! Tiffany is sharing her family recipe for a spicy Sichuan sauce, Mala Hot Sauce, that is versatile with so many Asian dishes. You're going to love this sauce, and it keeps for months!

    A large spoon filled with Mala hot sauce on top of a round blue plate.

    Tiffany's blog post from Choo Choo Ca-Chew:

    This recipe was passed down by my grandpa and probably from his grandpa. Grandpa was born in the Sichuan province, China and moved to Taiwan in 1950 when the air force of R.O.C. retreated from China.

    This is a staple hot sauce in Sichuan and at home. “Mala” is actually two words in Chinese: 麻辣 (ma2 la4) 麻Ma2 is a tingly feeling like your foot just went numb and someone is poking it. 辣La4 is spicy.

    Three small blue bowls filled with Szechuan peppercorns on top of a wooden board with a mortar bowl in the background.

    That explained this sauce a lot! It is quite different from most hot sauces you find in the supermarkets. This sauce gives a tingly feeling in your mouth due to the Szechuan peppercorns and is super easy to make.

    Szechuan peppercorns iare a bit harder to get, you might need to look for an Asian store or a serious spice shop (or Amazon). I bought mine at Market Spice in Pike’s Place, Seattle. It was a bit pricey but I cannot argue with the quality! It was some of the best Szechuan pepper I’ve ever purchased (the only other one that could compare were the ones I bought in Sichuan).

    Several glass mason jars filled with various spices on top of a black marble surface.

    Szechuan peppercorns, crushed red pepper flakes, and toasted sesame seeds are the three main ingredients in this aromatic, spicy Mala Hot Sauce.

    Grind the spices in a spice grinder, food processor, or mortar and pestle and store in tightly sealed glass jars.

    A large spoon filled with Mala hot sauce on top of a round blue plate.

    This sauce can also be a base for various dishes originated in Szechuan or just to spice up your food. You can easily adjust the heat level with the chili you use.

    You can store the Mala Hot Sauce in a jar in your pantry for up to three months.

    Print
    clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
    A large spoon filled with Mala hot sauce on top of a round blue plate

    Mala Hot Sauce

    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    This amazing Mala Hot Sauce is versatile with so many Asian dishes. You're going to love this sauce, and it keeps for months!

    • Total Time: 10 mins
    • Yield: 1 1x

    Ingredients

    Units Scale
    • ½ cup crushed red pepper flakes
    • ¼ cup Szechuan peppercorns
    • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
    • Pinch of salt
    • ½ cup olive oil (or vegetable oil)

    Instructions

    1. In a spice grinder, small food processor, or mortar and pestle, grind together the red pepper flakes and Szechuan peppercorns until powdery. Sift out the shells from the peppercorns and discard.
    2. Place the ground spices into a sealable jar and add in the toasted sesame seeds and a pinch of salt.
    3. Heat the olive oil in a small pan until oil starts to ripple. Pour the oil into the jar with the spices and stir well.
    4. This spice can be used right away or stored in your pantry for up to 3 months.

    Notes

    This recipe comes from Tiffany at Cho0 Choo Ca-Chew.

    • Author: Choo Choo Ca-Chew
    • Prep Time: 5 mins
    • Cook Time: 5 mins
    • Category: Sauce
    • Method: Stove Top
    • Cuisine: Chinese

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size:
    • Calories: 152
    • Sugar: 0.6 g
    • Sodium: 38.7 mg
    • Fat: 15.6 g
    • Carbohydrates: 5.5 g
    • Protein: 1.2 g
    • Cholesterol: 0 mg

    Keywords: Dipping Sauce, Asian Sauce

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @AsianCaucasianBlog on Instagram and hashtag  #AsianCaucasianEats

    « Asian-Spiced Pork Chili with Butternut Squash
    Mixed Seafood Poké Bowl »

    You may also like:

    Matcha chocolate dipped pretzel rods on top of a round black plate with plain pretzel rods on the side, and a small bowl of matcha powder and a glass with a dipped pretzel rod, and a linen napkin on the side.

    Chocolate Matcha Dipped Pretzels

    A large black bowl filled with Chinese chicken salad featuring shredded chicken, shredded carrots, broccoli slaw, scallions, water chestnuts and chow mein noodles, with a pair of brown chopsticks on top and a linen napkin on the side.

    Easy Chinese Chicken Salad

    Two bowls filled with Chinese curry chicken and potatoes with whole red chili peppers on top all placed on a white wooden board with a white spoon on the side.

    25 Easy Chinese New Year Recipes

    Two white bowls with Spicy Thai Salad with Chicken with a fork on top placed on top of a marble surface.

    20 Healthy Asian Salad Recipes

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

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

    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Lesli Schwartz.

    Hi, I'm Lesli! Welcome to Asian Caucasian, a healthy-ish food blog born out of a passion for home-cooked, Asian-inspired cuisine. I always cook with market-fresh ingredients and prepare simplistic, healthy Asian recipes so you can throw away those take-out menus! Come share my culinary love of beautiful Asian-fusion food, and get cooking in the kitchen! READ MORE!

    Let's Connect

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Reader Favorites!

    Chocolate Matcha Dipped Pretzels

    Matcha chocolate dipped pretzel rods on top of a round black plate with plain pretzel rods on the side, and a small bowl of matcha powder and a glass with a dipped pretzel rod, and a linen napkin on the side.

    Easy Chinese Chicken Salad

    A large black bowl filled with Chinese chicken salad featuring shredded chicken, shredded carrots, broccoli slaw, scallions, water chestnuts and chow mein noodles, with a pair of brown chopsticks on top and a linen napkin on the side.

    25 Easy Chinese New Year Recipes

    Two bowls filled with Chinese curry chicken and potatoes with whole red chili peppers on top all placed on a white wooden board with a white spoon on the side.

    20 Healthy Asian Salad Recipes

    Two white bowls with Spicy Thai Salad with Chicken with a fork on top placed on top of a marble surface.

    Furikake Chex Mix Recipe

    A bowl of Furikake chex mix with a linen napkin on the side and a baking tray in the background.

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact Us
    • Work with Us
    • Featured In

    © 2016-2022 Asian Caucasian

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission.
    If you want to share this recipe, please provide a link back to this post for the original recipe.

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
    Cookie SettingsAccept All
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT