马拉盏 (mǎlāzhǎn) · belachan; fermented shrimp paste (a…

Meanings

1 belachan; fermented shrimp paste (a Southeast Asian condiment)

About the ingredient

调料 Seasonings

A hard, brick-like cake of fermented shrimp from Malaysia, with a very strong smell. It is often toasted first, then pounded with chili, garlic and shallots into sambal belacan, or used in curries and sauces.

Contains shellfish

Characters

Examples

HSK 5

炒空心菜的时候加一点马拉盏特别香。

Chǎo kōngxīncài de shíhou jiā yìdiǎn mǎlāzhǎn tèbié xiāng.

Adding a little belachan when stir-frying water spinach makes it especially fragrant.

HSK 7-9

马拉盏是马来菜里很重要的调料。

Mǎlāzhǎn shì Mǎlái cài lǐ hěn zhòngyào de tiáoliào.

Belachan is a very important condiment in Malay cuisine.

Tips

memory

Loanword from Malay 'belacan,' which is fermented dried shrimp pressed into a block. The Chinese characters 马拉盏 are purely phonetic - none of the literal meanings (horse / pull / lamp) apply.

culture

Used heavily in Singaporean, Malaysian, and Hong Kong Cantonese cooking - most famously in 马拉盏炒饭 and 马拉盏空心菜. The word is rare in mainland Mandarin recipes outside of Southeast-Asian-style restaurants.