SICHUAN CUISINE

 Hello ladies and gents this is the Viking telling you that today we are talking about 

Sichuan Cuisine – Most Popular Cuisine in China

Sichuan cuisine, or Szechuan cuisine and Chuan cuisine, is one of the eight Chinese cuisines popular in Sichuan and Chongqing area, even globally and it has the largest market share in China. Sichuan cuisine dishes are featured with hot, spicy and fish-flavor taste, colorful appearance, abundant using of seasonings especially pepper and prickly ashes and various cooking methods. Sichuan hot pot, Ma Po Tofu, Kung Pao Chicken, Sliced Beef and Ox Organs in Chili Sauce, Sliced Pork in Hot Chili Oil are the famous and representative Sichuan cuisine dishes.

• Chinese Name: 川菜 chuān cài
• English Names: Sichuan cuisine, Szechuan cuisine, Chuan cuisine
• Popular in: Sichuan Province, Chongqing
• Flavors: hot and spicy, numb, sour and spicy, fish flavor
• Famous Sichuan Dishes: Kung Pao Chicken, Ma Po Tofu, Twice Cooked Pork, Sichuan Hot Pot
• Famous Snacks: Dandan Noodles, Chaoshou, Bean Jelly, Spicy Rabbit Head

 

History of Sichuan Cuisine since Qin Dynasty

The origin of Sichuan cuisine can be traced back to Qin Dynasty (221 - 207 BC). From Qin to Jin Dynasty (265 - 420 AD), some cooking methods and dishes have been created in Ba and Shu area, today’s Sichuan and Chongqing area. During the Sui Dynasty (581 - 618 AD) and Tang Dynasty (618 - 907 AD), the number of Sichuan food restaurants and cellars increased in the Ba and Shu area. The cooking technology had advanced a lot.

In Song Dynasty (960 - 1279 AD), Sichuan food had formed its own unique style, distinguished from other cuisines and gradually spread to areas outside the Ba and Shu area. Pepper was introduced into China in the late Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644 AD) and the early Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911 AD) and used in Sichuan cuisine. It enriched the flavor of Sichuan cuisine dishes and new dishes as then invented, which is regarded as the beginning of the modern Sichuan cuisine. Later, more kinds of peppers were added to Sichuan cuisine recipes, gradually forming the hot and spicy feature of modern Sichuan cuisine. 

Features of Sichuan Cuisine – Hot & Spicy

Most Sichuan cuisine dishes are hot and spicy. The two deep flavors are from the abundant using of seasonings including hot pepper, hot peppercorn, Sichuan pepper, prickly ashes, broad bean chili paste, ginger and garlic, which are all pungent, spicy and hot. Among them the broad bean paste is known as the soul of Chuan dishes, while the hot pepper and Sichuan pepper are the soul of it. 

Why do Sichuan people eat hot pepper and chili so much? The local climate is humid. Eating the pepper and chili can help the blood of the body flow quickly in a short time, thus the humidity in body is easily discharged. Girls in Sichuan and Chongqing also believe eating peppers gives them better skin.

Actually, Sichuan cuisine is not only hot and spicy. Totally Sichuan cuisine dishes has 24 flavors which can be roughly divided into 3 major categories. The first and the most popular is hot & spicy mentioned above, with the representative dishes of hot pot, Ma Po Tofu and so on. The second is pungent & aromatic of which dishes are always with a hint of garlic and ginger. The third is sweet & sour, and Fish-Flavored Shredded Pork is the representative dish.

 

Special Cooking Techniques

There are over 20 main cooking techniques to make Sichuan food: stir-frying, flash-frying, quick-frying, pan-frying, deep-frying, dry stir frying, sautéing, scalding, boiling, instant boiling, quick boiling, braising, smoking, simmering, stewing in soy sauce, steaming, pickling, roasting, dressing, crisp frying with syrup and so on. Stir-frying is the most typical one, featured with short cooking time, high fire and the cooked dishes taste fresh and tender with less juice.

Kung Pao Chicken

A famous traditional Sichuan chicken dish known in globe. The main ingredients are chicken breast and chili, and the chopped green onion and peanuts are also added. The cooking method applied is flash-frying.

Ma Po Tofu

The chopped meat is fried with broad-bean sauce and red chili and many other seasonings and then the tender and smooth tofu is add and fried. The finished dish is bright red and tofu is moderately flavored.

Fish-Flavored Shredded Pork

 It is a salty, slightly spicy and sweet dish. Although named fish flavored pork slices, fish is not the ingredient. The main material is pork loin. The fish flavor comes from the perfect combination of salt, sugar and starchy water.

Sliced Beef and Ox Organs in Chili Sauce

A cold Szechuan beef dish invented by a couple. It is made of beef, oxtongue, and beef tripe. It tastes spicy and pungent. The spicy and red sauce is mainly made of red chili oil, pepper oil and spices like Chinese cinnamon and star anise.

Sliced Pork in Hot Chili Oil

The pork slices are first boiled and added into red sauce made of thick bean paste and red chili and then topped with hot oil. The pork slices are tender and go well with rice. The pork slices can also be replaces with fish slices.

Sichuan Hot Pot

The soul of hot pot is the soup base made of various condiments and seasonings. Almost all food materials can be boiled in it, and the dipping sauce mainly made of sesame oil and garlic gives the boiled materials a rich flavor.

And as always have a chilled day from the Viking