Chinese & Taiwanese cuisine 中华美食 · 中華美食

mapo tofu, literally “pockmarked grandma's tofu”

Silken tofu in a chili-bean sauce with ground pork, Sichuan's most famous dish. The 麻婆 was the pockmarked wife of a Chengdu innkeeper who invented it in the 1860s.

twice-cooked pork, literally “back-to-the-pot pork”

Pork belly is boiled first, then stir-fried with leeks and doubanjiang. Called twice-cooked because the meat visits the pot twice; the everyday king of Sichuan home cooking.

Diced chicken with peanuts, dried chilies and Sichuan peppercorn in a sweet-sour glaze. Named for Ding Baozhen, a Qing governor of Sichuan who held the title 宫保.

shuizhu fish, poached in chili oil, literally “water-boiled fish”

Fish fillets drowned under a lake of chili oil and peppercorns. Despite 'water-boiled', the top layer is pure oil that seals the heat; a 1980s Chongqing invention.

fuqi feipian, sliced beef in chili sauce, literally “husband-and-wife lung slices”

Thin-sliced beef and offal in numbing chili oil, sold by a married couple in 1930s Chengdu. No lung is in it today; the name is a homophone of 废片 'scrap slices'.

Bite-size chicken pieces fried crisp, then tossed in a mountain of dried chilies. The game is hunting for chicken among the peppers; Chongqing's signature.

mouth-watering chicken, literally “saliva chicken”

Cold poached chicken in a red-oil, sesame and peppercorn sauce. Named because the thought of it makes your mouth water, not because of anything in the recipe.

Fish fillets poached in a sour broth of pickled mustard greens. Milder-looking than other Sichuan dishes but still carries heat; hugely popular as a solo meal chain dish.

A Ciqikou dock-worker's pot: duck blood, tripe, luncheon meat and greens stewed in chili broth. The boldest of the Chongqing bold dishes.

Shredded pork in a garlic-ginger-pickled-chili sauce. 'Fish-fragrant' is a flavor profile borrowed from fish cookery; no fish is involved, a classic learner trap.

Eggplant braised in the same fish-fragrant sauce as the pork version; arguably the better vehicle because the eggplant drinks the sauce.

dandan noodles, literally “carrying-pole noodles”

Small bowls of noodles in chili-sesame sauce, named for the shoulder poles street vendors carried them on in 1840s Zigong. Dry-style in Chengdu, soupy elsewhere.

Chengdu's famous wonton house name, now the dish itself: pork wontons in red oil or clear broth. 抄手 is Sichuan's word for wonton, 'folded arms'.

Chengdu dumplings served bare of soup under sweet red oil and garlic. Named for a 1890s vendor called Zhong; the sweet-soy finish is the signature.