How do you actually eat malatang?
From choosing your ingredients and soup to understanding the pricing and making the perfect dipping sauce, here’s my fun and beginner-friendly guide to enjoying malatang without feeling overwhelmed.
Having lived in Taiwan for 7 years and China for 3 years, I’ve eaten a lot of spicy hot pot and malatang over the years, so I’m excited to share my tips with you!
ℹ️ My cosplay in the intro image is inspired by Tokushu Reikon (Guardian Angel), my favorite character from the Taiwanese film Hello Dracula, which was a huge hit in Japan in the late 1980s.
A jiangshi is basically a Chinese hopping vampire or zombie — spooky, funny, and oddly cute at the same time. If that sounds interesting, look it up on YouTube.
What’s the Difference Between Malatang and Hot Pot?
At first, I was also wondering:
Wait… what’s the actual difference between hot pot and malatang?
They both come from the same mala hot pot world of spicy, numbing broth, but the dining style is quite different.
With hot pot, you cook the ingredients yourself at the table.
With malatang, you choose your ingredients first, then the restaurant cooks everything together for you and serves it ready to eat.
That’s why the most important thing to watch out for with malatang is how much food you pick. The key is figuring out the portion size that works best for you!
So, How Do You Eat Malatang at a Restaurant?
First, grab a bowl and start choosing the ingredients you want from the ingredient shelf 👇
To make it easier, here are three topping styles based on what I, Anders, and my best friend Yuka usually choose 👇
How Much Food Should One Person Take?
This is a rough guide based on my experience:
Light: 300–400g
Normal: 450–650g 👈Probably the most common range
Hearty: 700–900g
Average Price at Malatang Restaurants in Sweden
Based on my usual portion size of 500g (5hg), I’d say the average comes to around 200 SEK.
Here’s how it tends to look for the people around me👇
Lots of meat + lots of processed hot pot toppings
Usually over 600–700g
Mostly vegetables
Usually around 350–500g
Vegetables + meat + noodles
Usually around 500–750g
At many restaurants, you choose your soup when you pay, so it helps to decide beforehand so you don’t get confused at the counter 👇
Of course, the classic choice is the spicy mala soup, but if you don’t like spicy food, many places also offer options like tomato soup or bone broth. Some restaurants also let you adjust the spice level or choose from several different soup bases, so it’s always worth checking before you order.
The Most Important Part of All 👇
For both malatang and hot pot, the most important thing is the dipping sauce 👇
I love it so much that my friends from Taiwan and China joke, “Did you come here to eat the sauce?”
And honestly… they may not be wrong.
🇹🇼Classic Taiwanese Style
Sha cha sauce + soy sauce + vinegar + garlic + scallions + crushed peanuts
The One Ingredient I Always Recommend: Taiwanese BBQ Sauce, Sha Cha Jiang!
This sauce brings a huge burst of Taiwanese umami flavor.
It’s commonly used in Taiwan for BBQ, stir-fries, and many other dishes, but it also goes incredibly well with both hot pot and malatang.
Once you’ve made your sauce, mix it well like in the photo on the right, then dip your ingredients into it.
🐓🥦 If your bowl is mostly chicken and vegetables, I also recommend a lighter, fresher dipping sauce: soy sauce + extra vinegar + sesame oil + scallions + coriander
Want to Experiment More? Try These Chinese Local-Style Sauce Ideas
Chengdu Style
Sesame oil + lots of garlic + lots of coriander
Chongqing Super-Spicy Style
Sesame oil + fresh chili + ground Sichuan pepper
Beijing Rich Style
Sesame paste + fermented bean curd + Chinese chive flower sauce
Guangzhou Light Style
Soy sauce + chopped chili + a little lemon
Another Great Combination
Sesame oil + garlic + oyster sauce + sesame seeds + peanuts
At regular Chinese restaurants that happen to serve hot pot, the dipping sauce is often fixed or pre-made. But at dedicated hot pot or malatang restaurants, there’s usually a self-serve sauce station where you can mix your own exactly the way you like it.
And honestly, spicy food is one of those things that works all year round, whether it’s summer or winter. I hope you find your own favorite combination too!
Recommended Mala Tang restaurants in Stockholm that I have been to 👍
📍 Luntmakargatan 90, Stockholm
👍The interior is really cute, and the restaurant is much bigger than it looks like from the outside. It keeps going farther back, with plenty of seating even beyond the restroom, so it’s a great option for a spontaneous visit without a reservation. I actually go there pretty often because of this.
💰 Price per person: 36.90 SEK / hg (minimum 300g)
🗓️ Reservation: 076-600 17 55 (Phone reservations for groups of 4 or more)
📍 Kungsholmsgatan 2, Stockholm
👍It’s in an area I don’t go to very often, so I’ve only visited once, but I really liked the friendly staff and the cozy, welcoming atmosphere. It definitely left a good impression on me, and I’d love to go back.
💰 Price per person:
Pre-selected-ingredients option: 189 SEK
(You can choose your soup, so this is a nice option if you don’t want to pick ingredients yourself.)
Pick-your-own-ingredients option: Soup price + 32.9 SEK / hg (minimum 300g)
＊Prices are based on information from October 2025, so it’s best to double-check before visiting.
🗓️ Reservation: Not available (Ordering for pickup is available on the website.)
This is how we make our Nordic Life Colorful! Enjoy your day!