COVID-19 has placed great limitations on what college students are able to do on campus. So, to make the best out of my time in Boston, I have been trying out the more undiscovered restaurants in the Greater Boston area. Allston is a major hot spot for Boston’s best Korean food as well as other Asian food. After the sun sets, Allston almost mirrors Korea’s nightlife, as it has a high density of Korean businesses and more Asian college students walking around. According to the Boston Globe, more than one-third of Boston’s Korean population lives in Allston-Brighton. Because of high demand, East Asian cuisine is readily available for its residents and those coming from other areas of Boston. Although the T-ride is a bit long from Northeastern (total of 35 minutes of transit), by Uber it usually takes around 10 to 15 minutes.
Last year was the first time I ever tried hot pot. Since then, I always saw hot pot as this “full-experience” type of meal of having a communal pot of broth and cooking ingredients including meat and vegetables over the course of the meal. However, more recently, I tried out Mala Restaurant in Allston, and realized that this was not true. Dry pot is similar to hot pot, minus the broth. Typically, there are one or two meats that are served as the core of the entree (chicken, beef, shrimp, etc.) and then vegetables like potatoes, bok choy, napa cabbage, bean sprouts, mushrooms, and more are added as well. What I love about dry pot is that each ingredient maintains its own flavor but seamlessly blends in with all the other ingredients to create a massive bowl of spicy greatness. Everything that comes in dry pot is already pre-cooked, so when it arrives at your table, everyone is able to eat right away. Dry pot takes the ingredients of traditional Sichuan hot pot which includes douban, fermented soy beans, ginger, garlic, chili oil and a liberal dose of chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns. The Sichuan spice is my favorite aspect of dry pot because it is so deeply integrated into the food and doesn’t hit you with immediacy. After my first try at Mala Restaurants, my lips were practically on fire at the end due to the numbing effect of the Sichuan pepper. Although I haven’t tried other restaurants that serve dry pot, Mala Restaurant definitely did not fail to satisfy me as well as my roommate (who is from China and definitely has high standards of dry pot). The authenticity and inexpensiveness of the food made our experience a 10/10 and I highly recommend you try the place out if you haven’t already.
