Is Sichuan Food the Next “Hot” Cuisine?

By Harlan Flamm

Chinese dishes are enjoyed by many people around the world. These dishes include Peking duck, dim sum, and lo mein. However, the Sichuan cuisine could potentially be the best cuisine in China, and one of the best cuisines in the world.

Before we learn about Sichuan food, we should learn about the Sichuan province. Sichuan province lies in inland China, bordering Tibet. The province has many mountains and is known for its overcast and misty climate. Because of this climate, Sichuan province is home to the giant panda. In fact, the biggest preserve in the world for pandas is right outside Chengdu, Sichuan province’s largest city.

The chili and its flavor

Sichuan cuisine revolves around two ingredients, each with their own unique flavor. The first ingredient is the Sichuan chili, which is red in color and looks like a long tube. The flavor of the Sichuan chili can be described as 辣 or là, which means “spicy” in English. Therefore, authentic Sichuan dishes are very spicy because they contain the Sichuan chili. The other key ingredient is Sichuan peppercorns, which are hard round balls that are also red in color. The flavor of Sichuan peppercorns can be described as 麻, or má, which means “mouth numbing” in English. Therefore, when you eat a Sichuan dish with peppercorns as well as chilis, the peppercorns will make your mouth numb and make the spice of the Sichuan chilis more bearable and more enjoyable.

Dishes

Sichuan cuisine has a wide variety of tasty dishes. However, there are three dishes that are extra special. The first dish is Gōng bǎo jī dīng, which is “kung pao chicken” in English. Kung pao chicken is a dish that includes cubes of chicken breasts or thighs, peanuts, as well as Sichuan chilis and peppercorns. Not only is this dish very tasty, it also has a great texture.

The second dish is called Mǎ pó dòufu, which is “mapo tofu” in English. This dish includes tofu, ground pork, and Sichuan chilis and peppercorns. Mapo is especially tasty when it is served with refreshing cucumber salad on the side.

The final dish is called Huǒguō, which is “hot pot” in English. Hot pot consists of a chili mix that is combined with water and boiled in one huge pot. People at Hot Pot gatherings sit around this huge pot and put ingredients of their choice inside. When the ingredients are cooked each person takes their food out of the pot for them to eat. Some of these ingredients include bits of beef or pork, as well as vegetables such as lotus root.

Where can we eat Sichuan food?

There are many great Sichuan restaurants in New York, particularly in Manhattan and Queens. If you want a traditional Sichuan experience, Sichuan Mountain House in Manhattan and Flushing is a great place. If you want an experience more specific to hot pot, Haidilao Hot Pot in Flushing is a great. If you want something closer to home, O Mandarin is in White Plains, and they have great Sichuan food as well.

Sichuan food at home

There are many great cookbooks for making Sichuan food at home; however, one of them has an especially great selection of dishes and is very easy to use. Land of Plenty by Fuchsia Dunlop can easily be bought on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

China: A Cookbook: 300 Classic Recipes From Beijing And Canton, To Shanghai And Sichuan by Terry Tan has some great Sichuan recipes as well. Of course, the appropriate ingredients need to be bought to make these dishes, and many authentic Sichuan ingredients are not available at regular supermarkets. Therefore, you will need to go to the appropriate grocery stores to get the authentic ingredients.

The best option is the Great Wall supermarket in Queens, NY. However, if you are looking for something closer to home, H Mart in White Plains, NY is a very serviceable option as well.

In the COVID era, it is very hard to experience other cultures because we are not able to travel. However, we can still be creative and experience other cultures in our area or even in our home. Sichuan culture and cuisine in particular is something that not many people know about. However, Sichuan food can be enjoyed by people across the U.S., just like it’s widely enjoyed in China.

All it takes is eaters with courage and spice tolerance 😉.