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Pungency, to
the degree of numbness, is a salient feature of Sichuan dishes. As the
saying goes, “While China is an epicurean paradise, Sichuan is the place to
be for those hunting for the most delectable and exquisite of dishes.”
Indeed, Sichuan cooks select their ingredients woth great care and use a
variety of seasonings for different dishes. The result is a hundred dishes
that are by turns hot and spicy, fragrant in five different ways, odd in
odor, numbingly hot (using chilly and Chinese prickly ash) and hot and
sour-just to mention a few common flavours. Spicy pork shreds, diced chicken
with peanuts and vegetables, stewed bear’s paw, odd-flavoured chicken cubes
in mixed spices, stir-fried bean curd in chili and Chinese prickly ash, and
fried carp… are some of the renowned Sichuan dishes. |
