The predominant ingredient in the food here is CHILI! And, if you thought you could handle a Vindaloo curry, then try some of Chengdu's spiciest food, laced with chili from top to bottom. Locals argue that chili is beneficial both in summer to help cool you down, and in winter, as a warmer. According to Chinese legend chili also has medicinal properties and helps protect against illnesses which result from wet or damp conditions.
For those unaccustomed to spicy food, Sichuan dishes can be hard to handle. Chili used correctly however, is not supposed to be overbearing, but to bring out the flavors of a dish. Once you get used to the spice, it becomes easier to enjoy Sichuan food. The most famous dishes from the region include Spicy chicken with peanut (Gong bao ji ding), and spiced tofu with chili(Ma po dou fu).
Many dishes here are served in a fish flavored (Yu xiang) sauce which is made from vinegar, ginger, sesame and soy). Hotpot is also very popular here, and there are numerous restaurants and stalls serving up spicy pots to passers-by. There are over 10 varieties of Chengdu hotpot including hotpot with boiled mutton, and hot pot with beer duck and all are pretty spicy so beware!
The best places to sample typical Sichuan cusine in Chengdu are the Chengdu Restaurant and Grandma Chen's Beancurd Restaurant. See our Restaurant Index for more information about where to eat in Chengdu!
Chengdu cuisine has three categories, Sichuan Cuisine, Hotpot, and Snack.
Sichuan Cuisine
Sichuan cuisine has developed over the centuries. Its distinctive flavors entice people throughout China and recently in foreign countries.
Sichuan cuisine is famous for piquancy, but its flavoring is complex as well as hot. Typical dishes include the following:
Hui Guo Rou Pian (Twice Cooked Spicy Pork Slices): A traditional Sichuan dish. The tasty pork slices are fried crisp without greasiness.
Bang Bang Chicken
(Bang bang ji) is a traditional local dish that actually originated in Leshan, and was introduced to Chengdu in 1920. To prepare this dish a flaming stick is used to reheat a cooked chicken so that the meat becomes light and flaky. The chicken is served with sesame and soy sauce. This is one of the tastiest cold dishes in Chengdu and less spicy than many others which are popular here.
Yu Xiang Rou Si (Fish Flavored Shredded Pork): fish-flavored dish in the unique style of Sichuan cuisine. Ingredients include shredded pork, agarics, bamboo shoot and carrot. The delicious dish has no fish but has the flavor of fish.
Guoba Roupian
(Guoba Roupian) is a special dish unique to Chengdu. This tasty dish arrives at your table in two separate parts; a golden crust of cooked rice in one bowl and hot sauce in another. The hot sauce is immediately poured on the rice which crackles at the sensation!
Mapo Bean Curd
"Mapo" bean curd is perhaps one of the most typical of Chinese bean curd dishes and is hugely popular throughout the country.
The very best place to sample this spicy dish is in Grandma Chen's Bean Curd restaurant. This restaurant was established in 1842 and the owner wife, Grandma Chen, who created this dish, had a very marked face.
The Chinese word for this is "Ma", and "Po" is the name given to an old woman. Since then, this dish has gained notoriety throughout the nation but maintained its original name. Soft bean curd is served with a very fiery meat sauce and this is a very spicy and hot dish, normally served coated with a thick layer of oil, minced beef and dry chilies.
Spiced chicken with peanuts is one of the special local dishes of Chengdu. This dish , while very spicy, is popular with westerners as the taste is similar to sweet and sour. The name for this dish (Gongbao ji ding) stems from a Sichuan legend about a rich man who always asked his chef to cook this dish for visitors.
This man went on to become a top official in Sichuan (A Gongbao) hence, the dish associated with him was named this way! Another way to sample this dish is with pork meat instead of chicken.
Cold Noodles
(Jisi Liang Mien) is a traditional cold dish from Sichuan, which has become popular all over China recently, especially in the north. Noodles are first cooked and then left to cool.
They are then served with either bean sprouts and sauce, or eaten with shreds of chicken meat, pork and ham.
Hot Pot
When people think of Chengdu, they immediately think of hotpot. Introduced from Chongqing, Chengdu hotpot has its own style ranging from simple spicy to moderate, three or four kinds of spices, as well as fish head hotpot, medical herbs hotpot, etc.
Hotpot is very popular in Chengdu, and is known for its spicy and hot flavor which can make the tasters tongue go numb! Hotpot once was only served up at home to the family but is now hugely popular throughout Chengdu on the street and in restaurants.
There are numerous different flavors available including lamb and fish hot pot. This is particularly nice in the winter as the spiciness is very warming! To eat a hot pot, just grab some friends, chuck in the pot what you fancy eating and wait for it to cook!
Snacks
Hidden in the streets and lanes of Chengdu, snack bars still send out savory flavors.
The most renowned snacks include:
Fuqi Feipian
(fuqi feipian) is a cold dish unique to Sichuan that was created by an affectionate couple fifty years ago.
Literally translated, the name of the dish means "Couples Lungs" but in fact, the dish is not made from lungs but other inner parts.
The meat is stewed in soy sauce and then served with chili oil, pepper, sesame and peanut.
Chuan Chuan Xiang
also called Ma La Tang, vegetables, sausages, shrimps and anything edible can be threaded onto a bamboo stick and cooked in the hot pot.
Lai Tang Yuan (Lai's Glutinous Rice Ball)
the nutritious glutinous rice ball made by Lai (Surname of the maker) is soft and sweet.
With more branches than McDonald's, Lai Tang Yuan is easy to find in Chengdu.
Long Chao Shou (Long Wonton)
with thin skin and tender stuffing, the savory snack is popular among locals and tourists.
Besides these, there are also quite a large number of Western Foods:
KFC
McDonald's
Pizza Hut