Mekhala Organic Sichuan Mala Chili Cooking Paste, 3.53oz

I love this stuff. I live in a small town in the Midwest so finding a variety of spices isn't exactly the easiest. I got a recipe for Szechuan noodles and went online and found this. Since then, we've probably had noodles once a week. It's just that tasty. This is very much a use amount as needed sauce. I make the whole pot with just a tablespoon of this paste to 8 tbsp of sweet soy glaze. It adds just the right amount of heat for my more sensitive husband. I add another dollop to my own bowl to give it more kick for my own liking. I also appreciate how easily it mixes in. If I'm stirring it into the soy glaze or my own noodles, it stirs in and incorporates super easy without big chucks which is nice. The peppercorns are soft and tender and not disconcerting when you have one in a bite. I could easily see tossing a little in a wide variety of dishes- dressing, crema, chili. I'm a big fan and will be making this a staple in our kitchen.

This is one of my regular purchase. I love that it's got all natural ingredients. You just need some veggies and meat and toss them in water and then put this paste in the soup. It cannot be more simple. Of course, a little bit of broth powder helps but not necessary. It is pretty spicy so be careful if you eat spicy food. Otherwise, it's my favorite cooking sauce.

I decided to buy it for the Sichuan numbing feeling but there ended up being a spice in it that I just do not like. I used 2 tsps for a pound of noodles and it was a decent heat level, I would've added more to make it more spicy but I just didn't like the flavor but I'm also the type of person who doesn't like any herbs besides cilantro so it's mostly just a personal flavor opinion. But I did like the packaging and felt like it was worth the money to try it. My brother loves it, just personally not my thing.

Met expectation

I am a huge fan of this Ma La paste! I was initially skeptical given that it is vegan but was very surprised to find out that this small container packs a powerful punch of flavor and heat! It's almost as good as the real Ma La flavors that you get from Szechuan restaurants. Some might argue that it lacks salt but I prefer it that way because I can easily adjust the saltiness of the paste myself by....adding more salt or soy sauce :) I would still recommend adding additional garlic and shallots to heighten the tastes but overall, a very good paste and I HIGHLY recommend this to those who love Szechuan food.

I had been looking everywhere for a Sichuan ma-la hot paste and was excited to find this. Unfortunately, this paste taste more like an Indian curry paste and not like a Chinese ma-la paste. I needed this paste for Chinese dishes. It's definitely a delicious paste, but I'll use it for Indian dishes instead of Chinese.

Extremely tasty mala heat. Tried 1.5 teaspoons over a medium size bowl of noodles with some trimmings. Been about 5 minutes since I finished my meal and my lips are still numb. I've got a bit of a sweat going on. This is delicious and perfectly numbing. A little pricey having to buy it online (wish my local asian market stocked it), so only 4/5 stars on value for money. 5/5 stars for flavor and versatility (I can tell this is going to be going in a lot more than noodle dishes).

I recently received this free on promotion with an order I placed. I have used several products from Mekhala, to my satisfaction, but this is definitely not one of them. I actually had to throw out the food / dish I made using this, it was inedible. I can appreciate why it was given for free. I would NOT recommend