Yeo Kyung-ok's Mala Tang

Name: Yeo Kyung-ok's Mala Tang
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 3 servings
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: doubanjiang 1 tablespoon full; oyster sauce 2 tablespoons full; sansho sauce (Sichuan pepper sauce) 1 tablespoon; vegetable oil 4~5 tablespoons; water 4 cups; mixed mushrooms (enoki, shiitake, chanterelle, etc.) to taste; spam and sausage to taste; kalguksu or handmade dumpling noodles; lettuce or perilla leaves to taste

A super simple mala tang that perfectly recreates the rich, smoky flavor at home using just three store-bought seasonings—doubanjiang, oyster sauce, and sansho sauce—without any complex spices.

🙋 Recommended for

⭐ Those who want to successfully make authentic-tasting mala tang without complicated spices
⭐ Home cooks looking to use up leftover vegetables and sausages for a bold, spicy stew

15 min Difficulty Easy Noodles & bunsik

Main ingredients 🥩

doubanjiangoyster saucemixed mushroomshamsausagelettuce

Tags 🏷️

super simple soup dish camping food

Detailed recipeQuick recipe

Ingredients needed 🛒3 servings

doubanjiang 1 tablespoon full
oyster sauce 2 tablespoons full
sansho sauce (Sichuan pepper sauce) 1 tablespoon
vegetable oil 4~5 tablespoons
water 4 cups
mixed mushrooms (enoki, shiitake, chanterelle, etc.) to taste
spam and sausage to taste
kalguksu or handmade dumpling noodles
lettuce or perilla leaves to taste

Recipe 🍳

Heat 4 to 5 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a pan over medium heat.
Add 1 tablespoon of doubanjiang and stir-fry briefly as if frying, bringing out the chili oil aroma and rich umami flavor.
Add 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce, adjusting heat to prevent burning while mixing well.
Once the sauce is well blended, pour in 4 cups of water and turn up the heat to high.
Add 1 tablespoon of sansho sauce—the key to the numbing mala flavor—and let the broth simmer briefly to complete the mala stock.
Cut the prepared mixed mushrooms, ham, and sausage into bite-sized pieces and add them to the boiling broth.
Add kalguksu or handmade dumpling noodles and continue boiling until the noodles are cooked through.
In the final step, place half-cut lettuce or perilla leaves on top, gently wilt them with residual heat, then reduce the flame slightly before serving.

Sauté doubanjiang and oyster sauce in vegetable oil in order to develop a rich, savory base.
Add water and sansho sauce to boil and create a quick, simple mala broth.
Add mushrooms, ham, and noodle strands, then boil and finish with lettuce or perilla leaves.

Cooking tips 💡

Always sauté doubanjiang and oyster sauce in oil first—this eliminates the raw, surface-level taste of store-bought sauces and enhances their deep, Chinese-inspired flavor.
If the broth reduces too much and becomes overly salty, add warm water gradually during cooking to adjust seasoning.
For a richer, creamier, more balanced flavor reminiscent of hot pot, stir in 1 large tablespoon of peanut butter for a touch of sweetness and smoothness.

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doubanjiang oyster sauce mixed mushrooms ham sausage lettuce

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