Browse Techniques

Dan dan noodles (担担面) take their name from the shoulder pole (dan dan) from which street vendors once carried their portable kitchens. The dish is one of the defining street foods of Chengdu and one of the most internationally recognisable Sichuan preparations. The authentic Chengdu version has almost no liquid — it is a dry-tossed noodle with a complex paste of sesame paste, chilli oil, ya cai preserved vegetables, Sichuan peppercorn, soy sauce, and a small amount of minced pork, finished with a ladle of boiling noodle water to loosen the paste slightly.

Fuqi fei pian (夫妻肺片, literally 'husband and wife lung slices' — despite the name, no lung is used in modern versions) is one of the most famous Sichuan cold dishes: thin slices of beef and beef offal — typically shank, tripe, tendon, and tongue — dressed in a complex sauce of chilli oil, Sichuan peppercorn, sesame paste, soy sauce, and aromatics. The name refers to the Chengdu husband-and-wife street vendors Guo Zhaohua and Zhang Tianzheng who in the 1930s sold offal dishes from baskets on a shoulder pole. The dish exemplifies the Sichuan tradition of transforming cheap, collagen-rich offal cuts into a sophisticated, flavour-complex cold preparation.

Gan bian (干煸, literally dry-fry or dry-stir-fry) is a Sichuan technique in which ingredients are cooked in a wok with very little oil over sustained medium-high heat until almost all their moisture is expelled, concentrating their flavour and creating a wrinkled, slightly chewy texture. The process is slow by Chinese wok standards — 5-8 minutes of continuous tossing — and requires patience. The resulting ingredient is then flavoured with Sichuan aromatics and spices. Gan bian si ji dou (干煸四季豆, dry-fried green beans) and gan bian niu rou si (干煸牛肉丝, dry-fried shredded beef) are the two most famous gan bian preparations.

Chao shou (抄手, literally crossed arms) are the Sichuan name for wontons — thin-skinned pork parcels served in a bowl of chilli oil and sauce rather than in a broth. The name refers to the folding method: the wrapper placed flat, the filling placed in the center, the sides folded and crossed over like crossing your arms. Chao shou are a fixture of Chengdu morning street food culture and one of the most accessible expressions of the mala flavour profile.

Ya cai (芽菜, literally 'sprout vegetable') is the salted, slightly fermented preserved mustard green that is one of the most distinctive condiments and cooking ingredients of Sichuan cuisine. Made from the stem of a specific variety of Chinese mustard plant (zha cai's cousin), ya cai is finely shredded, salted, sun-dried, and then packed in sealed clay pots for fermentation — the best Yibin-style ya cai is aged for at least 3 years before sale. It has a salty, slightly sour, deeply savory flavor with a pleasantly crisp texture despite its preserved state. Ya cai is the essential garnish for dan dan noodles and is also used in dry-fried green beans (gan bian si ji dou) and stuffed meat preparations.

Yu xiang (鱼香, fish-fragrant) is a Sichuan flavour profile and sauce technique that, despite its name, contains no fish. The name refers to the seasonings traditionally used in Sichuan fish cooking — Pixian doubanjiang, pickled chilli, ginger, garlic, scallion, Chinkiang vinegar, and sugar — which together create a complex, slightly hot, sweet-and-sour, intensely savoury sauce. Yu xiang pork (yu xiang rou si, 鱼香肉丝) and yu xiang eggplant (yu xiang qie zi, 鱼香茄子) are the most famous applications.