Best Sichuan

"Land of Plenty" is a cookbook by British food writer Fuchsia Dunlop, published in 2001, focusing on the cuisine of China's Sichuan province. The book draws on Dunlop's training at the Sichuan Institute of Higher Cuisine in Chengdu, documenting recipes and techniques from the region. It is noted for...

Dan dan noodles are a Sichuan street food of Chinese origin featuring thin wheat noodles in a spicy sauce of chili oil, Sichuan peppercorns, sesame paste, and minced pork, named after the carrying poles vendors used to sell them.

Doubanjiang is a traditional Chinese fermented bean paste that serves as a foundational ingredient in Sichuan cuisine. It is primarily made from broad beans, soybeans, salt, and chili peppers. The most highly regarded variety comes from Pixian (now Pidu) County in Sichuan Province, where it is tradi...

Mapo Tofu is a classic Sichuan bean dish characterized by its intensely flavorful sauce. Silken tofu forms the base, simmered in a complex mixture featuring doubanjiang (fermented chili bean paste) and fermented black beans. This combination creates a signature spicy and savory taste. It’s particula...

Er Jing Tiao (二荆条) chili is a pepper variety primarily cultivated in Sichuan province, China, particularly in regions around Chengdu and Meishan. This chili pepper typically measures 15-20 centimeters in length, with a curved shape and moderate heat level ranging from 15,000 to 30,000 Scoville He...

Fly By Jing Sichuan Chili Crisp is a fermented chili paste originating from Chengdu, China. Crafted by Jing Gao, it’s notable for its complex umami flavor profile developed through a traditional Sichuan recipe and lengthy fermentation process. The product offers a distinctive spicy and savory elemen...

Vegan Mapo Tofu is a plant-based interpretation of a traditional Sichuan specialty. It utilizes fermented broad bean paste and chili bean sauce to achieve a complex, spicy flavor profile reminiscent of authentic Mapo Tofu. Silken tofu provides a creamy texture complemented by wood ear mushrooms and...

Pao cai is a Chinese preparation of vegetables preserved through fermentation in a seasoned brine, with Sichuan pao cai being a prominent regional form. Vegetables such as cabbage, radish, and long beans may be submerged in a reusable brine maintained in a covered fermentation jar. Lactic-acid ferme...

The Food of Sichuan offers a detailed exploration of authentic Sichuan cuisine. Fuchsia Dunlop’s work meticulously documents regional dishes, emphasizing complex flavors developed through generations of culinary tradition. This cookbook is invaluable for serious home cooks and food enthusiasts inter...

Fly By Jing Zhong Sauce is a Sichuan-inspired condiment produced by Fly By Jing, the food brand founded by Jing Gao. Designed particularly for dumplings and noodles, it combines a sweet and savory profile with ingredients including brown sugar, soy sauce, and mushrooms. The name refers to zhong dump...

Gongga Shan, also known as Minya Konka, is the highest mountain in Sichuan Province, China, with an elevation of 7,556 meters. It is the prominent peak of the Daxue Mountains and is highly isolated from other ultra-prominent peaks. The mountain is known for its challenging climbing conditions, inclu...

Facing Heaven chili is a variety of Capsicum annuum associated with Sichuan cuisine and named for fruits that grow pointing upward. The ripe red chilies are commonly dried and used whole or ground, contributing color, fragrance, and moderate heat to stir-fries, braises, chili oils, and spice mixture...

Vegan Dan Dan Noodles present a plant-based interpretation of this Sichuan specialty. The dish utilizes chili oil, Sichuan peppercorns, and black vinegar to deliver a characteristic spicy and numbing flavor profile. Crispy fried tofu and scallions are common toppings. It’s suitable for individuals s...

Suan cai is a traditional Chinese fermented cabbage and staple winter dish in Northeastern China, made by lacto-fermenting whole napa cabbage in a salt brine.

The balance here is a delicate dance between intense, mouth-numbing spice (mala) from Sichuan peppercorns, the savory depth of soy sauce, and the slight sweetness from caramelized aromatics. The chili oil provides the necessary heat, while the noodles absorb the complex, tingling sensation, making i...

Fly By Jing Xtra Spicy Chili Crisp is a Chengdu-crafted Sichuan condiment with three times the heat and tingle of the brand's original chili crisp.

Hot and sour noodles (suanla fen) are a Sichuan street food made from thick sweet-potato starch noodles served in a broth spiked with chili oil, black vinegar, and Sichuan peppercorns, notable for their chewy, translucent texture.

Emei Shan is a significant Buddhist shrine located on China’s Emei Mountain in Sichuan province. The mountain, rising to nearly 3,100 meters, has been a site of pilgrimage for centuries and contains over thirty temples. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site recognized for its historical and religious im...

Guokui is a Chinese flatbread originating from the Sichuan and Shaanxi provinces, where it is widely consumed as a portable meal or street food. The dough is typically made from wheat flour and can be either baked or pan-fried. It is often stuffed with savory fillings like spiced pork, beef, or seas...

Lee Kum Kee Chili Bean Sauce is a Chinese cooking condiment made with fermented soybean material and chili peppers. It provides concentrated saltiness, fermented savoriness, and heat, and is commonly incorporated into stir-fries, braises, marinades, and sauces rather than used in large quantities by...

Ants climbing a tree (ma yi shang shu) is a Sichuan dish of cellophane noodles stir-fried with spiced ground pork, named for the visual resemblance of meat bits clinging to the translucent noodles to ants on a branch.

Fly By Jing Sweet & Spicy Zhong is a Sichuan-style chili sauce derived from the sweet-savory Zhong dumpling sauce tradition; the brand was founded in 2018.

The Min River is a major river in Sichuan, China, and a tributary within the upper Yangtze River system. Near Dujiangyan, its flow is divided and managed by the Dujiangyan irrigation system, a hydraulic engineering project begun during the Qin state around the third century BCE. The system redirects...

Sichuan Water-Boiled Tofu, known as Shui Zhu Tofu in Mandarin, is a classic Chinese dish from the Sichuan province characterized by its intensely spicy and numbing flavor profile. The dish is prepared by gently poaching soft tofu in a savory, heavily spiced broth built from doubanjiang (fermented br...

Sanxingdui is a Bronze Age archaeological site in Sichuan, China, first excavated in 1986. It revealed a previously unknown civilization through spectacular bronze masks, heads, and figures dated to approximately 1200–1000 BCE. The artifacts, which include large bronze heads with protruding eyes, go...

"Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper: A Sweet-Sour Memoir of Eating in China" is a 2008 book by Fuchsia Dunlop. As a culinary memoir, it chronicles the author's extensive experiences living, cooking, and traveling across various Chinese provinces, including her time as the first Westerner to train at a S...

Siguniang Mountain is a prominent mountain massif located in Sichuan Province, China, within the Qionglai Mountains. The massif consists of four distinct peaks, with the highest summit, Yaomei Feng, reaching an elevation of 6,250 meters. It is distinguished by its steep, rugged granite spires and he...

The Minya Konka Massif is a mountain formation located in the Daxue Shan range of the Hengduan Mountains in China's Sichuan province. It is most notable for Mount Gongga, which has an elevation of 7,556 meters and is the easternmost peak of that height in the world. The massif rises prominently abov...

The Siguniang Massif is a group of four prominent peaks in the Qionglai Mountains of western Sichuan, China. Its highest summit, Yaomeifeng, reaches 6,250 meters and is a steep, technically demanding objective that was first climbed in 1981. The massif lies within the Mount Siguniang scenic and prot...