Popular Sichuan Dishes (Szechwan Cuisine)

Hotpot - Huoguo

Hot Pot

Sichuan Hot Pot was originated from near Chongqing. It is spicy, numbing and sometimes oily. It is basically buffet and what people normally eat in a hot pot is pork slices, beef slices, cow stomach (omasum), different mushroom, different veges, tofu, sweet potato noodles. Raw foods were put into the boiling pot to cook them and eat when they are hot. There is also a bowl for each one to have their own sauces made of garlic, salt, scallion, chili, etc.

Double Cooked Pork Slices - Huiguorou

Double Cooked Pork Slices

It is called the king of Sichuan Dishes. It is probably the most popular dish that Sichuan people eat in a lot of places. Double cooking indicates the pork should be boiled before cut into slices for cooking. The pork used are usually half meat and half fat. It is a very easy dish to cook and it is very tasty. The reason why it is called the king of Sichuan Dishes is probably because its popularity and easy way of cooking as well.

Mapo Tofu

Mapo Tofu

Mapo Tofu is also called the spicy and numbing Tofu. Mapo is the name who people usually address as the old lady who cooks the tofu. Mapo means an old lady with lots of freckles on her face, a typical kitchen woman in Sichuan. This dish tastes numbing and a little spicy. This dish is a family dish as well, very easy to make.

Boiled Spicy Pork Slices – Shuizhu Roupian

Boiled Spicy Pork Slices

Boild Spicy Pork Slices is a dish from southern Sichuan and it is usually served in a bigger bowl. It is not only pork but also veges like bean sprouts, celery, garlic leaves, lettuce leaves, etc. Its name does not say anything about being spicy. Buy this dish is quite spicy and you are basically picking out food from the chili sauce soup.

Kung Pao Chicken

It is called Gongbao Jiding in Chinese. Jiding means chicken dices. Gongbao is the title of governor of Sichuan in Qing Dynasty. The Governor’s chef invented this dish so came the name after the governor. This dish is not spicy at all for Sichuan People. This dish will use chicken, peanuts, white part of green garlic and lettuce stems. It is one of the most popular Chinese dishes.

Fish-flavored Aubergine

Fish-flavored Aubergine

It is called Yuxiang Qiezi in Chinese. It tastes sweet and sour and a little spicy. The fish flavor is the flavor of a well-cooked fish in Chinese food. The pickled pepper is used to gain a fish-flavor. This dish is a test of one’s cooking skills. Aubergine absorbs oil so the amount of oil and other ingredients is essential. Am experienced chef can make very tasty Yuxiang Qiezi. Also this dish is very oily.

Shaobai, or Steamed Pork Fat (Sweet or Salty)

Steamed Pork Fat

This is a rather old food in Sichuan. There is also a Hakha origin of this food so sometimes it was thought to be a Cantonese Food. Shaobai means steamed fat. It was a big dish and one of the main dishes in a festival meal in the old days in Sichuan. There is salty ones and sweet ones. The salty Shaobai is steamed pork fat with preserved veges and the sweet Shaobai is steamed with sticky rice and sugar.

Ants Climbing Trees – Lanrou Fensi

Ants Climbing Trees

Ants Climbing Trees is a literal translation from its real name. It is called Lanrou Fansi in Chinese, meaning glass noodle with minced pork. This dish is a little spicy and people love it. The name of ants climbing trees is but of peoples’ imagination: the minced meat being the ants, and the noodles being the trees – the meat will stick to the noodles while you are eating them.

Chuan Chuan Xiang

Chuan Chuan Xiang

This is another version of Hot Pot. It is food on a stick and cooked in a pot. Chuan Chuan Xiang is also called Small Hot Pot. It is originated from south of Sichuan in Leshan. It is said that in the cities in China, where there is people, there is Chuan Chuan. Its popularity is among the most in China. Chuan is truly everywhere and it’s safe to say that local people in Chengdu have had more Chuan Chuan than Hot Pot. This food is also street food.

Blood Pudding

Blood Pudding

This dish is originated from Chongqing as well and developed in Chengdu. The blood pudding is usually boiled and using duck blood. This dish is very spicy. It is also called Red Tofu because it is as tender as tofu. Using every part of an animal is a traditional in Sichuan Cooking and this can be a typical one. One shall not judge by the name of the dish, comment after you try and you will love it.

Boiled Spicy Fish Slices

Boiled Spicy Fish Slices

This is a spicy dish. It is originated from around Chongqing as well. River fishes are used to cook this dish. And the fish is cut into pieces and the good ones are without bones. The cooking ingredients of this dish are the same as the Boiled Spicy Pork Slices.

Fish-flavored Shredded Pork

Fish-flavored Shredded Pork

This is yet another dish of fish flavor. Normally the pork is shredded into slices and stir-fried with sliced black mushrooms and lettuce stems. It requires the same ingredients and sauces as the Fish-flavored Aubergine. This dish also requires neat cutting and good cooking skills.

Spicy Chicken Dices

Spicy Chicken Dices

This dish is super spicy. It is also originated from eastern Sichuan near Chongqing and developed in Chengdu. The decent Spicy Chicken Dices are without bones however the regular ones you eat in a regular Sichuan Food restaurant, the chickens are with bones. Lazi Jiding is the Chinese name of this dish. Dried chili is widely used in this dish.

Boiled Fish Slices with Pickles

Boiled Fish Slices with Pickles

This is another common way of cooking fish in Sichuan. The sour flavor is favored by Sichuan people so every dish there seems to have a sour version of it. Although the fish is sometimes not cut while cooking at home. The pickle need to be good pickles otherwise the flavor is not decent.

Qiaojiao Beef

It was not really beef that was used in this dish at the beginning. This dish was originated in a small village where people are butchers near Leshan in Sichuan. At the beginning people thought it was too much waste to just dump the cow intestines so they put the intestines in the pot to cook. Through the times people in Sichuan have developed this dish a lot. Now this dish is a representative of Leshan’s food and beef is used. Today people consider it also as a medicine-like food as more herbs are added in this dish.

White Oil Tofu

Baiyou Tofu is its Chinese name. This dish is not spicy. It is a traditional Sichuan Food – non-spicy Sichuan food are normally traditional and with a long history. Baiyou Tofu has two flavors: salty and sweet ones. It is usually cooked with pork. The “white” is from its color because after it is cooked it looks white.