Chengdu, Sichuan Province
Chengdu summer staple of egg noodles cooked then shocked in cold water, dressed in a complex Sichuan sauce: sesame paste, chilli oil (hong you), Zhenjiang vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, minced garlic, and freshly ground Sichuan pepper. Served room temperature or cold with julienned cucumber and bean sprouts. The aromatic complexity in a single cold noodle bowl is extraordinary.
The ur-Sichuan flavour experience in cold form: all seven Sichuan taste sensations in a bowl — refreshing yet complex and deeply addictive
{"Noodles cooked al dente, rinsed in cold water, tossed in sesame oil to prevent sticking","Chilli oil must be the Sichuan crispy style — not plain chilli oil; it contains fried shallots, sesame seeds, and other solids","Sesame paste: Chinese tahini (not Middle Eastern) — thinner and more nutty; thin with soy sauce before using","Balance is everything: the sauce should be simultaneously savoury, sweet, sour, spicy, nutty, and numbing"}
{"Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chilli Crisp is a good commercial substitute for homemade crispy chilli oil","Chinese sesame paste (zhima jiang) is more savoury than Middle Eastern tahini — the two are not interchangeable","Rest sauced noodles 2 minutes before serving — allows noodles to absorb the dressing"}
{"Thick, cold refrigerator noodles — should be room temperature for sauce absorption","Sauce too sweet or too spicy without balance from vinegar and sesame","Not enough Sichuan pepper — the numbing is not optional"}
Land of Plenty — Fuchsia Dunlop