Introduction to Sichuan Cuisine & What to Order in a Sichuan Restaurant 四川菜.以味为本

Sichuan cuisine is one of China's eight regional cuisines and one of best known globally. Most people associate Sichuan cuisine with its signature tongue and mouth numbing spiciness.

The Eight Regional Cuisines of China are Shandong, Anhui, Hunan, Guangdong, Fujian, Sichuan, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang. 

Sichuan province is located in west central China. Sichuan's Chinese name 四川 means "four plains" instead of "four rivers" which many assume. 四川 is "川峡四路" for short - the name of the region during the Northern Song dynasty (960 - 1279).

Sichuan province has two distinct geographic regions - the mountain ranges to its west. The great 6,300km long Yangtze river flows from these mountains through the length of Sichuan province (to the East China Sea at Shanghai).

In east Sichuan lies fertile great plains irrigated by the Yangtze river and its tributaries.

Chengdu city, the capital of Sichuan has a population of over 18 million people in 2017. Sichuan province has a population of over 83 million people (that is the same as the population of Germany in 2020).

Chongqing city on the Yangtze river is a municipality east of Sichuan. Chongqing has a population of over 32 million people in 2020 (that is the same population as Malaysia in 2021). Chongqing cuisine is considered part of, if not synonymous with Sichuan cuisine. Some say Chongqing is the culinary capital of Sichuan.

Though Sichuan is a landlocked province, the Yangtze river and its tributaries irrigate its fertile plains and provide aquatic life for Sichuan's unique cuisine. Sichuan dishes are mainly pork, beef or chicken with some fish.

Sichuan's sub-tropical monsoon climate is humid and wet (yin) whole year round, hence Sichuan people sought after yang energy from spicy food since time immemorial.

You may have already noticed that Sichuan dishes ain't very pretty looking (unlike dishes from other Chinese provinces). In Sichuan cuisine, wok hei and knife skills are also not the most important - they are secondary to mastery of flavours. Heavy on grease and sporting dark colours, Sichuan dishes don't look pretty but they taste and smell wonderful.

Among Chinese cuisine, Sichuan food uses the widest range of condiments and spices for flavours - over twenty in all. The main flavours of Sichuan cuisine are salty, sour, and sweet with signature overlay of numbing spiciness in bold doses.

Despite its fiery look, at the very core of Sichuan cuisine is the humble salt (not spices or chili pepper). Salt is common, cheap and when used in food, it dissolves invisibly in the dish. Unseen but you know it when salt is missing in a dish.

According to the legend of Chang Wang, the emperor asked his head chef what is the most flavourful thing on earth. The chef replied "salt". The emperor took that reply as an insolent insult as salt is one of the most common things on earth. For that "insult", the emperor ordered the chef executed.

After the head chef died, no chef dared to add any salt to dishes prepared for the emperor. Soon, the emperor realised how tasteless food without salt is and that he had wrongly executed his head chef.

To make amends, the emperor awarded the head chef the posthumous title of honorary emperor, Chang Wang. Chang Wang became the patron saint of the salt trade in China.

Since then, saltiness is recognised as the foremost of all flavours in Sichuan cuisine.

But, with Sichuan cuisine, there is no escaping its spiciness which first hits your eyes with its fierce, fiery looks, as if to test our courage. Then, our nose may smart from the pungent spice aroma. Finally, in the mouth, the spices numb our tastebuds and lips but yet whet our appetite. Despite the punishment, most people become addicted to the spiciness once they acquired the taste.

Sichuan people have been enjoying spicy hot food since time immemorial. The year round humid and wet (yin) climate of Sichuan led people to seek after yang energy from spicy food to help balance the excessive yin energy from Sichuan's wet atmosphere.

Sichuan people are not the only ones that have an affinity for spicy food in China. Hunan and Guizhou cuisine are also known for their fiery sting. But, the spiciness of Sichuan cuisine is arguably the most complex due its combination of spices.

The foundation of Sichuan cuisine consists of three fragrances from ginger, chuyu (yuejiao), and peppercorn. Of these three, the foremost is peppercorn 花椒 - the spice that give Sichuan cuisine its signature numbing effect. Then came chili peppers in the 1500s (Ming dynasty) through India. 

Yes, chili pepper is a relatively new, foreign spice in Chinese cuisine introduced through India. It was the Portuguese who first brought chili peppers to India from central America. Chinese from Sichuan to Guizhou to Hunan fell in love with the imported spice. In Sichuan, the foremost spice peppercorn is combined with the new spice on the block to produce the signature numbing spiciness or mala 麻辣 of Sichuan cuisine. 

Sichuanese use chili pepper in three ways in their dishes which make Sichuan spicy dishes more complex in flavour than their other provincial counterparts.

One of the ways is to make Pickled Chili which is then used as an ingredient in Sichuan dishes. Pickling the chili peppers in brine give the chili a bit of sweetness and sourish flavour in addition to its spicy hot sting.

Sichuan Fermented Broad Bean with Chili Pepper 四川豆瓣酱 is an important ingredient in many Sichuan dishes. Known as chili bean paste, it is traditionally made by fermenting large urns containing a mix of broad beans, chili pepper and salt in the sun. Chili bean paste imparts a savoury-salty and spicy hot taste into the dish.

The third condiment that goes into a Sichuan chili sauce is chili oil. Chili oil is made with roughly ground dried chili pepper. Spices like ginger, cinnamon, sesame seed, etc are boiled in hot vegetable oil. Then, roughly ground dried chili pepper is added. The resulting condiment known as 红油辣椒 red oil chili is used in many Sichuan dishes as well as in noodles and dumplings.

Red oil chili is used as a sauce in Sichuan noodle dishes. A famous dish that relies on red oil chili is 红油抄手 or Sichuan style wanton which is simply wanton in red oil chili.

So, the basic spicy stock or sauce used in Sichuan dishes is some combination of pickled chili, chili bean paste, and red oil chili plus other spices. Of course, different restaurants have variations of the recipes to set themselves apart. Mom and pop also have their own family heirloom recipes.

Stepping into a Sichuan restaurant, we are confronted with a bewildering variety of bold colours, robust flavours and assertive aromas. Here are a few classics to start the journey of discovering the many wonders of Sichuan cuisine.

What to Order in a Sichuan Restaurant

If you are a beef lover, Sichuan Style Boiled Beef 水煮牛肉 is a must. It is made by first making the stock of chili bean paste, garlic, ginger, spices, peppercorn and dried chili pepper. The thin slices of fresh beef are then blanched in this stock. The soft juicy beefy sweet slices are infused with a tingling numbing spiciness. The dish is doused with hot oil just before serving to make its contents sizzle and release the aromas from the spices, peppercorn, chili pepper and beef. Order this, if the restaurant has it in its menu.

四川回锅肉 Sichuan Twice Cooked Pork is a humble comfort dish popular throughout Sichuan and Chongqing city. The dish was created a long time ago - since time immemorial, pork is boiled and used as a food offering during festivals to honour the ancestors. After the rituals, the boiled pork is cut into thin slices and stir fried with vegetables and a spicy sauce of peppercorn, chili pepper plus other spices and aromatics. Hence, the name "twice cooked pork". Many Sichuanese consider "twice cooked pork" the number one Sichuan dish. The thin pork slices often with fat, lean and skin are tender and slightly crunchy to the bite. It has natural pork sweetness with slight infused mala numbing spiciness. Order this if you are a pork lover.

Hanyang Bang Bang Chicken 寒阳棒棒鸡 is made with locally raised chicken from Hanyang ancient city near Leshan. The poached chicken, tender and juicy is cut with a cleaver and a mallet. The cleaver is held against the meat and driven by a mallet, hence the name "bang bang 棒棒". The idea is this "bang bang" method reduces shattering of the meat, bones, skin and splattering of juices, thus retaining the texture and flavour.

The pieces of tender juicy chopped chicken are smothered with a greasy spicy sauce of pickled chili, chili bean paste, red oil chili, spices and dried chili pepper, and served. The sauce varies from recipe to recipe, some using less chili pepper and chili oil than the version shown in the above picture. I love this dish as the chicken is tender, juicy and sweet (like Hainanese style poached chicken) while well complemented by the numbing spicy sauce.

宫保鸡丁 Kung Pao Chicken is made with diced chicken thigh marinated with soy sauce, salt and lightly battered with bean powder. The diced chicken thigh is fast fried in hot oil above 180℃ to crisp the outside while sealing in the juices in the tender meat. The spicy sauce is made separately by frying dried chili pepper, peppercorn, ginger, chopped chives, etc. When the spice flavours are released, the fried diced chicken is added to the sauce. Sugar and vinegar are added and everything in the wok is given a good stir fry. Finally, a sauce of cooking wine, salt and starch is added. Add in toasted peanuts or cashew nut and stir fry together with the sauce and chicken. The dish is ready when the watery sauce is reduced to a tacky and slightly wet sauce.

鱼香肉丝 Fish Flavoured Shredded Pork is made by stir frying shredded pork in spices, chili pepper, ginger, garlic, etc with sugar and vinegar. The sauce has a sweet and sour taste profile which overlays the tender pork's natural sweetness. Fish flavoured shredded pork does not use any fish or fish sauce at all even though it is said to taste like fish.

麻婆豆腐 Mapo Tofu is one of the most widely travelled Sichuan dishes - it can be found on the menu of Chinese restaurants around the world. The signature numbing spicy sauce is made with chili bean paste, black bean paste, dried chili pepper, Sichuan peppercorn and other spices. Cubes of sweet soft tofu are briefly stewed in the numbing spicy sauce, infusing the signature Sichuan flavours and served. A bit of starch is used to thicken the spicy sauce. Some places have minced pork or beef in the dish.

东坡肘子 is the Sichuan version of Dongpo Rou - there are many versions of Dongpo Rou in various provinces but only the Sichuan rendition has the signature mala or numbing spicy taste profile. Statesman and poet Su Dongpo was a Sichuan native and his pork knuckle dish is found throughout China in different forms. In the Sichuan version the pork knuckle is boiled in a stock with spices. A spicy sauce is prepared separately - it is made with chili bean paste, peppercorn, pickled chili, chopped chili pepper, ginger, garlic and other spices. Before serving, the boiled pork knuckle is smothered in the spicy sauce with its signature mala numbing spicy taste. The pork knuckle is fall-off-the-bone tender and taste naturally sweet with a subtle bit of infused heat from peppercorn. A pork lover's favourite.

四川卤味 Braised meats, pork trotter, tail, offal, duck feet, wing, neck and tongues, etc are found throughout China. Sichuan Style Braised Meats differ from the rest in that the braising stock besides soy sauce, spices has, what else...., peppercorn and dried chili pepper for that signature Sichuan numbing spiciness.

夫妻肺片 literally means "Husband & Wife Lung Slices". It is tissue thin slices of beef and / or lamb offals such as heart, tripe, tongue, parts of the head, etc (but no lung despite its name) boiled in spice and stock. (Actually, the original word is 废 [waste] instead of 肺 [lung] - waste and lung are pronounced the same way in Chinese.) 

The beef / lamb slices sit in a deep spicy pool of stock and red oil chili, spices, peppercorn, sesame seed etc. Originally a cheap meal for rickshaw pullers in Chengdu, it caught the attention of even well off folks who would buy the dish discretely in case they are seen by people who know them. Hence, the "Husband & Wife Lung Slices" dish is nicknamed 两头望 or "looking around discretely".

四川豆瓣鱼 Sichuan Chili Bean Fish is made by deep frying a grass carp which is then smothered in a thick sauce made with Sichuan chili bean paste and spices. The fresh grass carp is cleaned and marinated for 10 minutes in ginger, spring onion and cooking wine before deep frying. The spicy sauce is made separately by frying chili bean paste, ginger, garlic, spices, vinegar, and chili pepper together in oil. The fried fish is then briefly stewed in the sauce to infuse its spicy flavours into the fish meat. The fried fish and sauce is then served together. The soft fish meat tastes sweet, sour, savoury and spicy.

Chongqing Hotpot 火锅 soup base is made with chili pepper, fermented broad bean and chili, cooking wine, and butter for extra body and flavour. Diners cook their own choice of fresh ingredients in the shared pot of spicy soup base.

Chongqing Hotpot first appeared at the Chongqing dockside during the Qing dynasty. It was cheap dockside street food. The main ingredients were pork and beef offals. Today, though Chongqing is more affluent, people still enjoy offals the old way. Chongqing people enjoy their hotpot any time of the day and night, round the clock. Hotpot culture has a kind of casual inclusiveness. Hotpot time is party time, so hotpot restaurants tend to be rowdy.

Chengdu hotpot differs from Chongqing hotpot in that there is greater variety of soup base and ingredients, including more premium ones. Chengdu hotpot also feature ingredients skewered with thin bamboo sticks.

Hotpot is a great leveller as you will find people of all communities and from all walks of life enjoy hotpot together.

I hope with this brief introduction, you are hungry for a taste of Sichuan cuisine. As Sichuan restaurants are found around the world, there may be one near you that can satisfy your craving. Hope this introduction helps you make your orders.

For me, I am also looking forward to visit Sichuan province again, soon! 

     

       

                     

             

             

               

               

             

           

           

           

                         

           

             

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Written by Tony Boey on 4 Aug 2021  

References:

Map of Sichuan courtesy of Wikipedia. Image of Sichuan Dongpo Rou is a screengrab from Youtube 大师的菜·东坡肘子. Image of kung po chicken courtesy of Wikipedia. Image of fish flavoured shredded pork courtesy of Wikipedia. Image of Sichuan twice cooked pork courtesy of flickr. Image of bang bang chicken is a screengrab from Youtube 味道: 棒棒雞. Image of Sichuan spicy fish is a screengrab from Youtube 大师的菜·豆瓣鱼. Image of Chongqing courtesy of Wikipedia. Image of Sichuan hotpot courtesy of flickr. Image of Sichuan chili oil courtesy of flickr. Image of chili bean paste courtesy of Wikipedia. Image of Sichuan chili pepper courtesy of flickr. Image of Sichuan peppercorn courtesy of Wikipedia. Image of Chengdu courtesy of Wikipedia. Image of water boiled beef courtesy of flickr. Image of braised meat courtesy of pixabay. Image of Chongqing chicken noodle courtesy of flickr. Image of Sichuan boiled fish courtesy of Max Pixel. Image of Sichuan mountains courtesy of Wikipedia. Image of pickled chili is a screengrab from Youtube 川菜的品格. Image of mapo tofu courtesy of Wikipedia. Image of bang bang chicken courtesy of flickr. Image of Sichuan style beef courtesy of flickr.