In Sichuan Province, some dishes are highly-spiced and peppery; so it is often said that numbing, hot spices are the main characteristics of the Sichuan cuisine. Nonetheless, popular belief, Sichuan dishes have many other flavors.
In Sichuan Province, some dishes are highly-spiced and peppery; so it is often said that numbing, hot spices are the main characteristics of the Sichuan cuisine. Nonetheless, popular belief, Sichuan dishes have many other flavors.
A popular saying says that “China has food, and Sichuan has flavor.” The flavors of Sichuan cuisine can be rather complex. Chefs blend many spices together to create various flavors, including suān là wèi (酸辣味, hot and sour sauce), yú xiāng wèi (鱼香味, tasty fish-flavored sauce), má là wèi (麻辣味, numbingly spicy sauce) and yān xūn wèi (烟熏味，smoked flavored sauce).
Now I would like to introduce some famous Sichuan dishes for you:
Guoba Roupian (锅巴肉片)：
Guoba refers to crispy chunks of rice. These are heated on a hot plate, and the waiter then pour hot stew over them. The stewed meat and vegetables soften the rice to a crunchy texture.
Zhangcha Yazi (樟茶鸭子)：
This is Sichuan duck smoked with camellia and camphor leaves. It smells good, looks dark red in color and has a crunchy exterior but tender meat.
Gongbao Jiding (宫保鸡丁)：
This is spicy chicken fried with peanuts. The main ingredients are small chunks of chicken breast, with dry peppercorns and peanuts. Almost all local restaurants serve this dish.
Yú xiāng ròu sī (鱼香肉丝)：
This is Fish-Fragrant Sliced Pork, a pork dish cooked with bamboo shoots, mushrooms, and special Sichuan seasonings and spices. The sauce is called yuxiang, which means “fish fragrance”.
Má pó Dòufu (麻婆豆腐) or Mapo Bean Curd:
Mapo literally means a woman with a pock-marked face, doufu means “bean curd,” A common Sichuan dish, Mapo doufu is bean curd dish flavored with many spices, including chopped scallions, minced garlic, minced fresh ginger, Chinese chilli-sauce or crushed dried red chili-peppers and flower peppercorn.
