Malaysia banks on China’s love of mala hotpot to spice up palm oil exports

China is the second-largest importer of Malaysian palm oil, buying last year nearly 3.1 million tonnes of the controversial commodity that environmental groups have said is responsible for mass deforestation and the destruction of the habitat of critically endangered animals such as the orangutan.

But Malaysia thinks there is plenty more room to grow demand in China, which counted nearly 400,000 restaurants across the country that specialise in Sichuan hotpot in 2021, according to the official data.

The government has cooked up a plan to convince the hundreds of thousands of hotpot operators in China to consider palm oil as an alternative base for the tongue-numbing broth, which is often made from beef tallow and can be so spicy that some versions purportedly cause hallucinations.

“Palm oil is not only abundant but also versatile and stable under high heat, which is ideal for the intense cooking process of mala hotpot,” Malaysia’s Plantation and Commodities Deputy Minister Chan Foong Hin told This Week in Asia.

Chan said the government had already set up partnerships with Chinese enterprises in a bid to embed palm oil as deeply as possible in the hotpot industry supply chain, while actively promoting the benefits of using palm oil in China’s culinary traditions.

“The feedback so far has been very positive, indicating a strong potential for growth in this market segment,” he said.

Malaysia’s hotpot push began last year, when domestic restaurant operators and commercial producers of the mala hotpot soup base sought alternative fats to offset a shortage in beef tallow, which is traditionally used due to its flavour and texture.

The shift coincided with complaints filed to the World Trade Organization by Malaysia and Indonesia, the