Sichuan Cuisine

Sichuan Cuisine or Chuan Cuisine as one of the eight major Chinese cuisines enjoys a high reputation both at home and abroad and has a long history. Sichuan, which was called “Ba Shu” in ancient times, boasts the title of “The Land of Abundance”. It is located in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and surrounded by mountains with a moderate climate and rich precipitation. Throughout Sichuan province, there are numerous rivers and lakes, abundant crops, annually produced vegetables and fruits with a complete range of fowl and poultry. The mountain-reared wild game and rare specialties are bear, deer, roe deer, white fungus, Chinese caterpillar fungus and bamboo shoots. The freshwater products from the lakes and rivers are longsnout catfish, prenant’s schizothoracin, rock carp and Chinese sturgeon. These favourable and natural environments with abundant speciality resources greatly promote the formation and development of Sichuan Cuisine.

Sichuan Cuisine, which is primarily based on Chengdu and Chongqing dishes, focuses on the refined selection of raw materials, the dimensions, the harmonious layout and the sharp contrasting taste and colours. Sichuan dishes are spicy, hot, savoury, fresh, greasy and strong. Peppers, prickly ash peels, peppertrees, along with ginger are frequently used. There are a great number of cooking techniques which are related to stewing with soup, sweet and sour sauce, chilli oil, prickly ash peel spices, ginger sauce, sugar and vinegar, lychee, and mashed garlic and many other combinations. Besides these unique features, Sichuan Cuisine also boasts the fame that each dish has its own taste and the entire dish family comprises of hundreds of flavours. The major cooking methods are frying, sautéing, quick-frying, boiling, stewing, deep-frying and simmering. In particular, moderate stir-frying and boiling, and braising and stewing with soup are extremely unique. There are a considerable number of refined dishes, ranging from household dishes, traditional folk snacks and popular fast foods, to the senior feast consisting of three steamed dishes and nine braised dishes (San Zheng Jiu Kou, 三蒸九扣; a feast popular in the rural areas of Sichuan) with various creative patterns. Typical Sichuan dishes are Kung Pao Chicken or Stir-fried Diced Chicken with Chilli Sauce and Peanuts (Gongbao Jiding, 宫爆鸡丁), Braised Fish (Ganshao Yu, 干烧鱼), Sautéed Sliced Pork with Pepper and Chilli (Huiguo Rou, 回锅肉), Braised Spicy Tofu (Mapo Doufu, 麻婆豆腐), Beef Lung in Chilli Sauce (Fuqi Feipian, 夫妻肺片), Tea Smoked Duck, Sichuan Style (Zhangcha Yazi, 樟茶鸭子), Sautéed Shredded Beef in Chilli Sauce (Ganbian Niurou Si, 干煸牛肉丝), Diced Chicken with Specially Hot Sauce (Guai Wei Ji Kuai, 怪味鸡块), Deep Fried Beef Slices (Dengying Niurou, 灯影牛肉), Fried Shredded Pork with Sweet and Sour Sauce (Yuxiang Rousi, 鱼香肉丝) and Poached Sliced Beef in Hot Chilli Oil (Shuizhu Niurou, 水煮牛肉).

Main Dishes 

Kung Pao Chicken or Stir-fried Diced Chicken with Chilli Sauce and Peanuts (Gongbao Jiding, 宫保鸡丁)

This dish as one of the famous Sichuan traditional dishes is also called Gong Bao Chicken (Gong Bao Jiding, 宫爆鸡丁) and widely popular across the country. It is said that it was named after a Sichuan governor of the Qing Dynasty, Ding Kung Pao, who extremely liked the dish.

The cooking method is as follows. Boneless spring chicken is diced and mixed with soy sauce, fine salt and starch and then stir-fried with dried red chilli and pepper oil. Shallots, ginger, garlic and cooked peanuts are added into the pan. Then, starch mixed with sugar, vinegar, salt, monosodium glutamate and broth are braised with the chicken until cooked. The dish is fresh and flavoursome, spicy and slightly sweet and sour.

Braised Spicy Tofu (Mapo Doufu, 麻婆豆腐)

This is a famous Sichuan traditional dish and well-known both at home and abroad. According to the legend, at the end of Emperor Tongzhi’s reign in the Qing Dynasty, a Chengdu woman surnamed Chen with freckles on her face operated a snack restaurant in Wanfujiao, Beimenwai. The tofu cooked by this restaurant was reddish, spicy and fresh and widely popular among the local people. The Chinese name of the dish came from this story.

Tender tofu, minced beef, fermented black beans, garlic sprouts, chilli and pepper powder are used as the raw materials.

The cooking method is as follows. First, the diced tender tofu is boiled until cooked and braised with fried shredded beef, fine salt, fermented black beans, pepper powder and broth until bubbles appear in the pan. Second, Soy sauce, garlic sprout slices and starch are added into the tofu with pepper powder. The dish is spicy, hot, fresh, crispy, tender and bright red.

Beef Lung in Chilli Sauce (Fuqi Feipian, 夫妻肺片)

It is said that in the 1930s Guo Chaohua and his wife operated a business selling this dish on the streets of Chengdu. Due to the refined cooking method and unique flavour, the dish was widely popular with the local people, thus people nicknamed it Fuqi Feipian (夫妻肺片; meaning beef lung in chilli sauce sold by the Guo couple) since then. Afterwards, the couple established a shop to operate such a business. Gradually the raw materials used in this dish have shifted from original lungs to today’s beef’s heart, tongue, head, skin and tripe and the quality has become even higher. At present, the dish is one of the most famous Sichuan dishes.

The cooking method is as follows. First, cleaned beef and tripe are boiled in the cooking pan with soy sauce, peppertree, cinnamon, star anise and other flavourings and stewed for about two hours over a moderate fire. Second, cooked beef and tripe are diced and placed on to a tray. Third, the flavouring juice made up of soy sauce, monosodium glutamate and peppertree is poured on to the tray. Last of all, crushed peanuts and sesame powder are sprinkled on top before the dish is brought to the guests. The dish is spicy, hot and highly aromatic.

Tea Smoked Duck, Sichuan Style (Zhangcha Yazi, 樟茶鸭子)

As one of the most famous Sichuan local dishes, it is just one of a variety of smoked duck. The duck is respectively preserved, smoked, steamed and fried. The cooking technique is strict and refined. The finished dish is golden and bright red, crispy outside and tender inside with the special fragrance of camphor wood and scented tea.

The cooking method is as follows. A cleaned and prepared male duck is pickled with peppertree and fine salt for about four hours and boiled in boiling water to finalise its shape. Then the duck is smoked until golden with camphorwood leaves, Jasmine tea, cypress branch and sawdust. Finally, the smoked duck is coated with a flavouring sauce, Shaoxing wine, peppertree and monosodium glutamate, steamed for two hours, cooled, sliced and served to the table.

Diced Chicken with Specially Hot Sauce (Guaiwei Jikuai, 怪味鸡块)

The dish has an especially unique Sichuan flavour which is salty, sweet, spicy, hot, sour, aromatic and fresh. Thus people also nickname it Diced Chicken with Special Flavouring.

It is a typical Sichuan dish with a special combination of flavours. The cooking method is as follows. A spring chicken is butchered, cleaned and gutted and boiled in water until cooked. After the boiled chicken is taken out and dried, it is diced and placed on to a tray with the skin facing upwards. Before the dish is served, the flavouring sauce made up of cooked sesame, red soy sauce, soy sauce, white sugar, vinegar, peppertree oil, pepper powder, sesame oil and monosodium glutamate is poured on to the chicken to finish the last step.

Sautéed Shredded Beef in Chilli Sauce (Ganbian Niurou Si, 干煸牛肉丝)

To make this dish, beef tenderloin fillets, fine salt, soy sauce, vinegar, pepper powder, fermented rice wine or Laozao, Pixian soy bean sauce, peppertree, sesame oil and ginger are used as the raw materials and stir-fried until the beef fillets are dried and have the flavours of various seasonings. The finished dish is crispy and delicious, slightly spicy, hot and extremely impressive. It is truly a unique Sichuan local dish.

Deep Fried Beef Slices (Dengying Niurou, 灯影牛肉)

The cooking techniques of this dish are refined and complicated. Tendon from the cow’s rear legs goes through seven cooking processes, namely slicing, pickling, drying, baking, steaming, deep-frying and stir-frying. The finished dish is bright red, spicy and tasty. The sliced tendon is so thin that you can even see through it. Thus, people call it Dengying

Beef (Deng Ying Niurou, 灯影牛肉).

The cooking method is as follows. First, the tendon is flattened, coated with salt, rolled then dried until it turns bright red (it is dried for 14 hours in summer and 4 days in winter). Second, the dried tendon is baked in the oven, sliced and steamed for about 1.5 hours in a steamer. Third, the steamed tendon is deep-fried in cooking oil at a moderate temperature until cooked. Fourth, diced ginger is fried in the cooking oil until fragrant and mixed with the deep-fried tendon and flavouring juice made up of Shaoxing wine, pepper powder, peppertree, white sugar, monosodium glutamate and five mixed spices. Last of all, after sesame oil is added, the dish may be served.

Braised Fish with Five Sliced Delicacies (Wuliu Yu, 五柳鱼)

As a famous traditional Sichuan dish, it has become well-known since the Tang and Song Dynasties bringing together braised sweet and sour tastes. There are five types of delicacies, namely sliced mushrooms, bamboo shoots, ham, red chilli and button mushrooms, thus people also refer to it as five delicacies.

Food Street

Known as the capital of delicious food, Chengdu is home to more than 30,000 restaurants. Already blossoming in the 1990s, by the new millennium, the catering industry in Chengdu had become even more popular.

Shaxi Route

Prices are a little higher here than average because it is set against a background of not only restaurants but tea-houses, nightclubs and bars, aimed at attracting both business and private customers. Obviously, there is plenty of Sichuan cuisine to be found here in places such as Jiayun (Excellent Rhyme) Sichuan Cuisine and the Guxiangyuan (Homeland Feeling) Sichuan Cuisine Restaurant. In Shunxing Old Tea-house, you can appreciate fully the Sichuan experience with food, wine, tea and opera.

Yangxi Route

Mainly comprising eateries serving Chinese food and hot-pot, one example of the restaurants here is the Red Apricot, serving high quality Sichuan food including red apricot chicken and boiled eel slices. For a mixture of Sichuan and Hunan food, try Daronghe, where you will find Good Start, Ronghe First Bone and Lucky Caraway Balls. The oldest food place in western Chengdu is Nantaiyue (South Stage Moon) which is hundreds of years old.

The Caotong Catering and Entertainment Circle

The Caotong (Thatched Cottage) culture, entertainment and catering circle is a deeply cultural experience. A new bar street in Chengdu, Neighbourhood Road, has more than ten very individual bars, each with its own style.

Tanyutou (Fish Head) Restaurant, Bianshi Caigexiang (Bian Family Sweet Vegetable Root), Chongqing Kong Liang Eel Hot Pot and Dazhaimen (Mansion) Hot Pot are all places you can eat in this area.

Wuhouci (Wu Marquis Temple) Street

The Shixianghu (Stone Elephant Lake) Restaurant was the first to demand eco-catering in Sichuan. The pork in this restaurant has an aromatic flavour because the pigs were fed with vegetables and bran. For the best hot-pot in the province, try Datangren (Great Tang People), where you can order as usual or opt for self-service. There is also entertainment in the form of dancers and singers, and you can try the multi-flavoured rabbit head, which is a dish made from a secret recipe which has never been divulged.

American Consulate Area

If you want a Western restaurant, try Kenhua Road, as there are several here, each with its own character. The clientele is mostly made up of foreign customers. If you wish to try typical Sichuan food, try Laoshi (Old Shi) Family’s spicy crab. Hongxing (Red Star) Restaurant is famous for its Auntie Family Feast. Consulate Road is the place to go for hot-pot and for good, eco-friendly dishes, visit Nantian Shuixian, developed by Chinese master Wang Kaifa. This is an especially fine place to eat as the roof is made of glass and is home to shrimps and fish. The diced wild yellow capsicum and frog hot-pot are famous in China and you can find them at the Eating Saint Ecological Garden.

Wangping Food Area

If you like fish, try Beidu (North Ferry) Fish House’s Baogong fish head or, for a fresh, delicate taste of the sea, try Sanzhier Lengguoyu (three-ear cold pot fish). This is a popular place to eat, with long queues every night.

Snacks

Drinks

Sichuan province is China’s premier wine production base. Wuliangye, Luzhou Laojiao, Jiannanchun, Langjiu and Quanxing Daqu are all among the best-selling rice wines in China and they are known as Sichuan’s “Five Golden Flowers”.

Wuliangye (五粮液)

meaning the liquid of five grains, is truly something special in China’s wine market. Wheat, rice, corn, broomcorn and sticky rice are its five ingredients, and together they deliver a rich taste and scrumptious flavour.