Spicy Mala Crayfish from an Old Calendar

 I found this recipe printed on an old calendar and immediately wanted to save it here.

Spicy Mala Crayfish

I love finding recipes in unexpected places like calendars, magazines, old flyers, and newspaper clippings. Sometimes they’re very simple, but that’s part of the charm.

The Chinese name is 麻辣小龙虾 (má là xiǎo lóng xiā) — basically spicy and numbing crayfish.

The original calendar doesn’t give exact ingredient amounts, so this is one of those recipes where you season according to taste.

Mala Crayfish

Ingredients

• Fresh crayfish
• Ginger
• Spring onion
• Garlic
• Cooking wine
• Doubanjiang / spicy broad bean paste
• Garlic chili sauce
• Chili sauce
• Dried chili powder
• Perilla leaves, chopped
• Chicken seasoning or chicken stock powder
• Salt
• Fresh stock or water
• Cooking oil

How to make it

First, clean the crayfish thoroughly. Marinate them with some sliced ginger, spring onion, and cooking wine for about 30 minutes.

Finely chop the doubanjiang, then mince the ginger and garlic. Chop the perilla leaves and slice some spring onion for garnish.

Heat a generous amount of oil in a wok. When the oil is hot, briefly fry the crayfish until the shells start turning bright red. Remove them and set aside, leaving a little oil in the wok.

Add the dried chili powder, doubanjiang, garlic chili sauce, chili sauce, ginger, and garlic. Stir-fry until everything smells really fragrant.

Return the crayfish to the wok. Pour in a little cooking wine, then add stock, salt, chicken seasoning, and the chopped perilla leaves.

Cook over medium heat until the crayfish have absorbed the seasoning and the sauce has reduced and become rich and glossy.

Transfer everything to a serving plate and finish with chopped spring onion or coriander.

That’s it. Very straightforward, very saucy, and definitely a recipe for people who enjoy bold flavors. 🌶️

Spicy Mala Crayfish Recipe Card

 
Another Version to Try: Garlic Chili Crayfish

Garlic Chili Crayfish

If mala seasoning feels a little too intense, I’d also make a simpler garlic chili version.

For this one, use plenty of chopped garlic, butter or cooking oil, fresh chilies, a little soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and a splash of stock. Sauté the garlic until fragrant, add the chilies and sauces, then toss in the cooked crayfish and simmer briefly until everything is coated.

It would be less numbing than the calendar recipe, but still spicy, savory, and perfect with rice.

I think that’s what I enjoy most about collecting old recipes like this. Even when the instructions are short and there are no exact measurements, they give you a starting point—and then you can slowly turn them into your own kitchen version. ❤️

Note: This is spicy mala crayfish original recipe from

Spicy Mala Crayfish from old Calendar