Sichuan cuisine is a style of Chinese cuisine originating from Sichuan Province in Southwest China. If you are a newbie to this kind of food, Sichuan diches will surprise you with their bold flavor and spiciness, mainly from the large use of garlic and ch
Sichuan cuisine is a style of Chinese cuisine originating from Sichuan Province in Southwest China. If you are a newbie to this kind of food, Sichuan diches will surprise you with their bold flavor and spiciness, mainly from the large use of garlic and chili peppers, as well as the minty and slightly numbing flavor of the famous Sichuan pepper. Our advice is to be bold and give it a try.
Understanding the delicious Sichuan snacks
In this article we will offer some insight on the most popular and delicious Sichuan snacks!
Liangfen ( 凉粉 )
Image: Calgary Vegetarian Food
Liangfen is a common but quite popular Sichuan snack which is served cold. It is generally white, almost translucent and thick starch jelly, made from mung bean starch, but also can be made from pea or potato starch.
The starch is boiled with water resulting in a viscous paste that is spread on a pan in a form of sheet and then cut into thick strips. The liangfen strips are then served cold in a bowl with sesame paste, soy sauce and chili oil, seasoned with pieces of carrot, chopped green onion, fresh coriander and crushed garlic. This snack although served cold will warm up your body due to its spiciness and rich flavor.
Suan La Fen ( 酸辣粉 )
Image: Sunflower Food Galore
Suan La Fen aka Hot and sour sweet potato noodles is a well known Sichuan street snack. The main ingredient behind this snack is the thick sweet potato noodles which are much chewier than the common noodles or the instant ones. These noodles are served in warm pork bones or chicken bones stock/soup, poured with a pre-fried garlic in chili oil, vinegar, sesame oil, light soy sauce and the Chinese five spices powder. The topping varies from red braised beef, minced pork sauce or red braised large intestines combined with chopped green onion, fried peanuts and pickled mustard. You can find this snack in almost every city in China, so just give it a go.
La Tiao ( 辣条)
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La Tiao is one of the most popular snacks in China and it got its international fame in 2016 when this snack was being enjoyed by two presenters on a BBC documentary about Chinese New Year celebrations. This snack consists of tofu skins fried in a mixture of water, soy sauce, fresh ginger, sugar, salt, Sichuan pepper, chili powder, myrcia and Chinese fennel species. The end result is similar to potato chips but much richer in taste and a bit spicy. Although very delicious, this snack is rich in gluten, so if you’re gluten sensitive you probably might not have the pleasure of tasting this snack.
Niu Rou Gan ( 牛肉干 )
Image: The Mala Project
Very traditional snack that is commonly provided as a gift amongst Chinese people. Niu Rou Gan explained in simple words is a spicy dry beef meat, however there is more too it. The beef meat undergoes a three step process, boiling, stir-frying and drying. During the first two, the meat has been treated with diverse spices like Sichuan pepper, bay leaves, anise, cinnamon, fennel seeds, cardamom, sesame seeds, chili and many more. Therefore, when slowly chewing on this snack you can slowly taste the full spectrum of flavors derived from the spices.
Baozi (包子)
Image: China Sichuan Food
The worldwide known steamed bun, baozi. This snack is a simple but delicious bread-like bun, filled with meat or vegetables and then steamed. The meaty baozi is usually filled with a mixture of ground pork and sliced pork belly, as the extra fat ensures that the filling remains juicy. The vegetarian baozi on the other hand is filled with varies combinations of mixed savoy cabbage, shiitake mushrooms, carrots and rice all seasoned with soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, salt and sugar. In the end, every one has its own favorite baozi, as there is a versatile selection of it.