A PACKET of spicy hotpot flavoring printed in both Chinese and the Myanmar language attracted attention at the 5th Lancang-Mekong Business Forum, which was held in early July in Nanning, capital of southern China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

The raw materials for the condiment are imported from southwestern China’s Chong- qing and processed in Myanmar’s Yangon to suit the tastes of Myanmar people.

“Spicy Chinese food began to appear in Myanmar 10 years ago,” said Sean Yann, 37, a Chinese-Myanmar manufacturer of the spicy hotpot flavoring who is fluent in Mandarin.

Yann said spicy Chinese hotpot was introduced into high-end restaurants in Myanmar after spicy mixed vegetables sold by Chinese people became popular in the local area.

In recent years, Chinese foods with spicy and mouth-numbing flavor known as “mala” have gained ground in Southeast Asia.

This trend was also confirmed by Li Jing, a young man from Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, southwestern China’s Yunnan Province, who went to Yangon University of Foreign Languages to study Myanmar language three years ago.

He said Chinese hotpot is very popular in Yangon, with many shops in high streets selling malatang (hot spicy soup) and spicy hotpot.

“Many Myanmar people can say ‘hotpot,’ ‘mala’ and other Chinese words, which are also indispensable topics in our conversations with Myanmar friends,” Li said.

As Myanmar consumers’ love for the “mala” flavor continues to grow, Yann’s company is working with the local supermarkets to introduce its spicy hotpot flavoring.

Although the products cost 1.5 times the price of local ones, they still sell 20,000 to 30,000 packets a month. Yann said a dozen similar spicy products from other brands are also selling well in the local supermarkets.

According to data from China’s e-commerce platforms Meituan and Dianping at the beginning of this year, the searches for “mala” and “hotpot” in Thailand had increased 700% year on year.

More and more restaurants featuring mala barbecue and hotpot have sprung up in the popular resorts of Bangkok and Phuket.

Zhuo Bingyue, who runs a Thai restaurant in Nanning, said that compared with the spicy Thai food, the “mala” flavor in Chinese food is more complex and rich, a feature that is attractive to young Thais.

Driven by policies such as the Belt and Road Initiative and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the scope of cooperation between China and ASEAN countries has been expanding, with no impediments to trade and logistics.

Foods with Chinese flavors such as “mala” are entering Southeast Asia in more diverse and efficient ways. (Xinhua)