Mian Lazi

Mian Lazi

　　Mian Lazi

　　Mian Lazi, also known as steamed spicy mash. The method involves using wheat flour as the main ingredient, mixed with shredded tofu, shredded wood ear fungus, broken vermicelli, and other common vegetables—all placed in a basin. Add seasonings such as salt, MSG, and sliced garlic. After scalding with boiling water until half-cooked, pour in oil-splashed chili oil, stir well, then steam. The final product is thick and paste-like. Serving suggestion: often used to soak steamed buns. It’s one of the simplest types of side dish food and can be somewhat compared to the hula soup sold on the streets.

　　【Ingredients】60g flour (when the amount of flour is level with the spoon surface, one standard tablespoon of flour is about 10g), an appropriate amount of dried chili powder, small cubes of tofu, wood ear fungus, and daylily flowers, a small amount of chopped green onion and sliced garlic, a small amount of broken vermicelli, cooking oil, salt, and an appropriate amount of ground Sichuan peppercorn prepared in advance (this amount of flour is for making one large bowl for an adult).

　　【Preparation Process】

　　1. Place the flour in a bowl, first stir it into a thin paste with an appropriate amount of tap water (remember, only this way can you ensure there are no lumps in the finished Mian Lazi), then add 400ml of boiling water and stir well. The consistency should be such that “the residual batter on the chopsticks can drip continuously in a thread-like manner after stirring” (this is the key to success).

　　2. Add an appropriate amount of salt, ground Sichuan peppercorn, along with the prepared small cubes of tofu, wood ear fungus, daylily flower pieces, chopped green onion, sliced garlic, and broken vermicelli, and stir.

　　3. Add an appropriate amount of dried chili powder according to personal taste, then add one tablespoon of raw cooking oil but do not stir.

　　4. Place the bowl in the steamer over boiling water and steam for 20 minutes. After removing from the steamer, stir well before serving. To eat, dip with hot steamed buns or break the buns into small pieces and soak them in the Mian Lazi bowl. The aroma of the bread combined with the numbing, spicy, salty, and garlicky flavors makes for a very distinctive taste. Remember to let it sit for about 5 minutes after removing it from the steamer before eating—otherwise, it might burn your mouth, oh no！