9 Classic Chinese Sichuan Dishes
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What makes Sichuan (Szechuan) cuisine so special? Hot, humid climates like Sichuan province call for food that is both hot and highly spiced.
But that's not the only reason. Hot foods like red chili stimulate the palate, making it more sensitive to the other flavors—sweet, sour, bitter, salty, aromatic, and fragrant—in Sichuan dishes and also cleanse the palate in preparation for the next dish.
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Kung Pao Chicken
GMVozd / Getty Images This is the popular dish made with chicken, peanuts, and hot chiles, that is named after a generic government official or kung pao. Feel free to turn the heat up or down on this dish by adjusting the amount of chiles used. Cashews can replace the peanuts.
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Mapo Tofu (Mapo Doufu)
The Spruce Eats / Ulyana Verbytska
Tofu and a bit of ground meat are dressed up with spicy seasonings in this popular dish. The name mapo doufu means "old pockmarked grandmother bean curd" in honor of the old woman who is reputed to have invented the dish. Feel free to substitute ground beef for the ground pork if desired.
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Hot and Sour Soup
MyNatara / Getty Images
Unlike other Szechuan recipes, this popular soup gets its heat from white pepper (the sour comes from vinegar). Tofu adds extra protein to this warming soup that is reputed to be good for colds.
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Chinese Green Beans
The Spruce
This popular Szechuan dish is a staple at many Chinese restaurant buffets. Instead of chili paste, feel free to add 4 to 6 small dried red chilis if desired.
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Twice Cooked Pork (Hui Guo Rou)
The Spruce Eats / Anfisa Strizh
In this Szechuan dish, pork is first simmered in a broth of water, rice wine, and ginger and then stir-fried along with vegetables like leeks and red bell pepper, chili paste, sweet bean paste, and dark soy sauce. It can be served with rice or on its own.
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Crispy Szechuan Beef (Gan Bian Niu Rou Si)
The Spruce Eats / Anfisa Strizh
This recipe uses a technique known as "dry-frying" where the beef is fried for several minutes, making it extra chewy and crispy. The dry-fried beef is then stir-fried with Chinese spices and seasonings.
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Chicken With Orange Peel
Saibal / Getty Images Poultry and citrus are a popular combination in western China. The linking of hot chiles with Szechuan peppercorn produces the "numbing fire" that gives the cuisine its fiery reputation.
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Bang Bang Chicken (Bang Bang Ji)
haoliang / Getty Images Sweet, sour, and salty come together in this popular dish, also known as strange flavor chicken. Chunky peanut butter can be used in place of sesame paste.
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Spicy Szechuan Eggplant
The Spruce
Eggplant and ground pork are stir-fried with chile paste and other seasonings in this spicy Szechuan recipe. For a vegetarian version, leave out the ground pork and increase the amount of eggplant.