Mao Xuewang

Mao Xuewang originates from Shapingba in Chongqing and is now beloved across all of China — a dramatically red, deeply numbing pot of duck blood curd, tripe, tofu, bean sprouts, and glass noodles submerged in mala chili oil broth and finished with a sizzling pour of hot oil over dried chiles and garlic. It is unapologetically bold and richly satisfying.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Main components:

• 300g (10 oz) duck blood curd or pork blood curd, sliced into 1cm pieces
• 200g (7 oz) cooked beef tripe or honeycomb tripe, sliced
• 200g (7 oz) firm tofu, sliced
• 200g (7 oz) soybean sprouts
• 80g (3 oz) glass noodles (mung bean vermicelli), soaked until pliable
• 2 stalks celery, sliced diagonally

For the broth:

• 4 tbsp (60ml) doubanjiang (spicy fermented broad bean paste)
• 2 tbsp (30ml) neutral oil
• 1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns, ground
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 4cm piece ginger, minced
• 600ml (2.5 cups) chicken or pork stock
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar

Finishing pour:

• 3 tbsp (45ml) neutral oil
• 15 dried red chiles
• 1 tsp whole Sichuan peppercorns
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

Instructions

1. Blanch the blood curd in boiling water for 2 minutes; drain. Blanch tripe 2 minutes; drain. Set aside separately.
2. In a wok over medium heat, warm 2 tbsp oil. Fry doubanjiang 2-3 minutes until oil turns deep red and fragrant. Add minced garlic, ginger, and ground Sichuan pepper; cook 1 minute.
3. Pour in the stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer 5 minutes. Add soy sauce and sugar.
4. In a deep heatproof bowl or claypot, layer the glass noodles at the bottom, then bean sprouts and celery, then tofu, tripe, and blood curd on top.
5. Ladle the hot broth over everything to just cover. Cook in the pot or serve as-is if ingredients are already heated through.
6. For the finishing pour: heat 3 tbsp oil in a small pan until shimmering hot. Remove from heat, add dried chiles, Sichuan peppercorns, and garlic slices — they will sizzle violently. Immediately pour over the bowl and serve.

Cook's Notes: Blood curd can be found in Asian supermarkets. If unavailable, substitute extra tripe or add sliced fish balls. The sizzling oil pour at the end is the theatrical heart of this dish — have the bowl ready before heating the oil.