Sichuan

🍳Cooking Style

Complex layering of flavors emphasizing ma (numbing) and la (spicy). Techniques include dry-frying, twice-cooking, and fish-fragrant sauces.

📜Historical Context

Sichuan's humid climate made preserving food challenging, leading to heavy use of chili and peppercorns as preservatives that became defining flavor profiles.

🌟Signature Dishes

China·Easy·40 minutes

Mapo Tofu

Sichuan's iconic dish - silky tofu in a fiery, savory sauce with ground pork, fermented chili bean paste (doubanjiang), and mouth-numbing Sichuan peppercorns. A true taste of Sichuanese home cooking.

China·Medium·37 minutes

Kung Pao Chicken

A classic Sichuan stir-fry featuring tender wok-fried chicken, fiery dried chilies, tingly Sichuan peppercorns, and crunchy roasted peanuts, all coated in a savory and tangy sauce. This dish is known for its complex flavor profile and satisfying textures.

China·Medium·35 minutes

Dan Dan Noodles

Authentic Sichuan street noodles featuring thin wheat noodles tossed in a rich, spicy, and numbing sauce, topped with savory minced pork and preserved vegetables.

China·Medium·50 minutes

Hui Guo Rou

A classic Sichuan dish featuring tender, twice-cooked pork belly stir-fried with aromatic leeks and a rich, savory sauce. The 'twice-cooked' method involves boiling the pork first, then slicing and stir-frying it to render the fat and achieve a slightly crispy texture. This dish is known for its smoky, spicy, and deeply satisfying flavor profile.

🍽️More from Sichuan

China·Easy·1 hour 15 minutes

Bai Qie Ji

A classic Cantonese dish, Bai Qie Ji, or White Cut Chicken, celebrates the pure, delicate flavor of chicken. The bird is gently poached to tender perfection, then served with a vibrant and aromatic ginger-scallion oil. This recipe focuses on simple techniques to highlight the natural taste of high-quality chicken.

China·Easy·45 minutes

Braised Tofu with Shiitake Mushrooms

A classic Chinese vegetarian dish featuring pan-fried firm tofu and earthy shiitake mushrooms braised in a rich, savory sauce. This comforting and flavorful meal is perfect served with steamed rice.

China·Easy·14 hours (including steeping)

Cha Ye Dan

Chinese tea eggs, known as Cha Ye Dan, are a popular and visually striking snack sold on street corners throughout China. Hard-boiled eggs are gently cracked and then simmered in a fragrant broth of black tea, soy sauce, and aromatic spices. This process infuses the eggs with a savory, complex flavor and creates a beautiful, marbled pattern on the whites as the seasoned liquid seeps into the cracks.

China·Medium·30 minutes

Chao Fen

A classic Cantonese stir-fried noodle dish featuring tender beef, fresh rice noodles, crisp bean sprouts, and fragrant Chinese chives, infused with the smoky 'wok hei' (breath of the wok). This recipe aims for authentic flavor and texture.

China·Medium·55 minutes

Chao Shou / Wonton in Chili Oil

Silky pork and shrimp-filled wontons bathed in a spicy, numbing, and aromatic Sichuan chili oil sauce. These Chao Shou are addictively good and surprisingly easy to make.

China·Medium·8 hours 25 minutes (including marinating)

Char Siu Pork Ribs

Tender and succulent Cantonese-style BBQ pork spare ribs, coated in a rich, sweet, and savory char siu glaze. The result is beautifully lacquered ribs with a perfect balance of flavors and a hint of smoky char.