Top 10 Sichuan Dishes

 Top 10 Sichuan Dishes

1. Kung Pao Chicken

This is the popular dish made with chicken, peanuts, and hot chiles, named after a 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.

2. Mapo Tofu (Mapo Doufu)

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 honour of the old woman who is reputed to have invented the dish. Feel free to substitute ground beef for the ground pork if desired.

3. Hot and Sour Soup

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.

4. Chinese Green Beans

This popular Szechuan dish is a staple at many Chinese restaurant buffets. Instead of chili paste, feel free to add 4 - 6 small dried red chilis if desired.

5. Ants Climbing a Tree

Don't be put off by the name! This simple Szechuan dish with bits of ground pork on rice vermicelli noodles is actually quite tasty.

6. Twice Cooked Pork (Hui Guo Rou)

Pork is first boiled, and then stir-fried in this Szechuan dish. Here is another variation on Twice Cooked Pork, made with sweet bean paste and different vegetables.

7. Crispy Szechuan Beef (Gan Bian Niu Rou Si)

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.

8. Chicken with Orange Peel

Poultry and citrus are a popular combination in western China. The linking of hot chiles with Szechuan peppercorn produces the "numbing fire" that gives Szechuan cuisine its fiery reputation.

9. Bang Bang Chicken (Bang Bang Ji)

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.

10. Spicy Szechuan Eggplant

Eggplant and ground pork are stir-fried with chili paste paste and other seasonings in this spicy Szechuan recipe. For a vegetarian version, leave out the ground pork and increase the eggplant.

Also read about the world's best cuisines- 
http://www.tasteandflavours.com/2012/09/top-10-cuisines-of-world.html
Read more about the chinese schezwan food culture here- 
http://www.tasteandflavours.com/2012/10/sichuan-food-culture.html