The Mala Project

Today I stumbled on a blog that is a must-read for anyone who is serious about how to cook Sichuan dishes.

The Sichuan word "mala" translates as "numbing and hot" and refers to the two major flavors that define Sichuan cuisine: ma (numbing Sichuan pepper) and la (hot chiles). The Mala Project is a blog by Taylor Holliday about cooking authentic Sichuan in the USA--her efforts to reproduce the tastes she experienced in Chengdu. It is a goldmine of recipes, techniques, and shopping advice on where to get Sichuan ingredients really made in Sichuan.

You can find The Mala Project at http://themalaproject.com/ .

-Paul W.

Nice site! The question is: how do I ever get to practice Sichuan cooking when my Pumpkin won't touch red peppers?

Interesting site, attractively done

Just looking at the site made my mouth burn!

Nice site! The question is: how do I ever get to practice Sichuan cooking when my Pumpkin won't touch red peppers?

Ugh. I have the same problem.

I know: let's meet up in the City sometime. Our wives can head to Panda Express, while we hightail it back to one of our kitchens for a Scoville blowout.

[Jenise]

Tom, I'm sure Jeff would happily join you, but Someone should mention that Pumpkin is a husband! For wifey, probably even better!

Love this blog. Laid in bed early this morning drooling over they Dan Dan noodles.

Tom, I'm sure Jeff would happily join you, but Someone should mention that Pumpkin is a husband! For wifey, probably even better!

D'oh! *smacks head*. And I knew that, too. Oh well, when the subject turns to food, my brain turns to mush. Guess the first round is on me!

Lol...and yeah, Wifey would have a blast

[Jenise]

Tom, I'm sure Jeff would happily join you, but Someone should mention that Pumpkin is a husband! For wifey, probably even better!

D'oh! *smacks head*. And I knew that, too. Oh well, when the subject turns to food, my brain turns to mush. Guess the first round is on me!

Lol...and yeah, Wifey would have a blast

As I know so well, all women need a gay best friend!

Tom, I just saw your new rank and I am giggling myself silly. (Which isn't all that much of a stretch....)

I know: let's meet up in the City sometime. Our wives can head to Panda Express, while we hightail it back to one of our kitchens for a Scoville blowout.

Not that I eat hot for the sake of just hotness but, well, it is good.

Not that I eat hot for the sake of just hotness but, well, it is good.

Me either, but when you share 99.37% of your waking meals with someone who blanches at anything hotter than the red star marshmallows in Lucky Charms, you tend to go overboard when given the rare opportunity to crank it to 11. "Cry havoc, and let slip the dogs of warm!" (Hey, I just thought of that. Not bad, huh?)

Tom, I just saw your new rank and I am giggling myself silly. (Which isn't all that much of a stretch....)

I was lobbying hard for "Jaded Sophisticate", but for some reason the Powers That Be thought neither word really applied to me for some reason. Apparently "that awful Tom fellow" pretty much nailed it in their eyes (a few quibbles about "fellow" notwithstanding). Glad you like it

[Robin Garr]

"Cry havoc, and let slip the dogs of warm!" (Hey, I just thought of that. Not bad, huh?)

I give it two thumbs up, and one eye of newt.

I give it two thumbs up, and one eye of newt.

Oh pleeeeeeeeeeeze let it be one of Gingrich's. And maybe what passes for his heart, too...

I give it two thumbs up, and one eye of newt.

Oh pleeeeeeeeeeeze let it be one of Gingrich's. And maybe what passes for his heart, too...

Gotta use tweezers and a magnifying glass for that.

Or, to paraphrase a previous wag: "You can take all the sincerity in Hollywood, place it in a fruit fly's belly-button, and there would still be room for three caraway seeds and Gingrich's heart."