冒菜
mào cài
ZH
A popular Sichuan-style Chinese savory dish where assorted raw ingredients (meats, vegetables, tofu, and noodles) are quickly poached in a spicy, numbing mala broth, then served in the flavorful broth. It differs from hot pot because it is cooked pre-portioned for individual servings rather than cooked at the table.
我今天中午点了一份微辣的冒菜当午餐。
I ordered a mildly spicy maocai for lunch today.
Etymology
The dish originated in Chengdu, Sichuan, China. Its name comes from the traditional cooking method of scooping (which translates to 'mao' in Mandarin) pre-cooked ingredients out of the boiling broth to serve.
Memory Aid
Remember 'mao' sounds like 'pour' — you pour the hot spicy broth over your selected ingredients to make maocai.
Collocations
麻辣冒菜牛肉冒菜素冒菜冒菜套餐