Maoxuewang (Spicy Blood Curd Stew)

Maoxuewang is a signature Chongqing jianghu (rough-and-ready) dish built on duck blood curd, joined by tripe, aorta, luncheon meat, eel, and bean sprouts, simmered in a thick mala broth and finished with a splash of hot oil to release the aroma, numbing, spicy, fresh, and scalding, rich with ingredients in a red soup.

It is said that in the 1930s and 40s a woman surnamed Zhang ran a stall near the Ciqikou wharf, stewing offal broth and dropping in fresh duck blood to cook and sell on the spot; the rough way of selling it gave the dish its name, and it stands as one of the roots of Chongqing's jianghu cuisine.

Maoxuewang is usually served as a steaming, big-bowl centerpiece, the blood curd tender and slippery, the tripe crisp, eaten hot with both broth and ingredients together, a shared, table-centered taste meant to go with rice and drink.

A good pot is judged by blood curd that is tender rather than tough, a deep, rounded mala broth, and a generous, well-layered mix of ingredients.