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What makes Sichuan cuisine so special? Dive into the bold, spicy, and rich flavors of Sichuan’s iconic dishes that are sure to satisfy every food lover’s cravings in the article below.
Known worldwide for its unforgettable blend of spicy, numbing, and aromatic flavors, Sichuan cuisine is not just a culinary tradition—it’s an emotional journey that showcases the richness and diversity found in every dish.
Every Sichuan dish has its own unique allure: from the tongue-tingling hot pot, smoky duck, to the signature spicy Ma Po tofu. These dishes not only leave travelers craving more but also serve as a point of pride for the local people. Join Mytour Vietnam as we explore the Sichuan specialties you absolutely must try during your Chinese culinary adventure!
1. Sichuan Hot Pot - A Must-Try Signature Dish
If you're a fan of spicy food, Sichuan hot pot is a must-try. Originally a humble dish for workers on the Yangtze River, it has now become a symbol of Chinese cuisine.
With a signature broth made from red chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns, diners will experience a numbing spiciness that tingles on the tongue right from the first bite—an incredibly stimulating sensation for the taste buds. This dish is often accompanied by a homemade dipping sauce made from garlic, sesame oil, and spring onions to balance the heat and round out the flavor.
The ingredients for Sichuan hot pot are incredibly diverse, ranging from beef, pork, and seafood to a variety of vegetables and mushrooms. As you eat, diners add their chosen ingredients into the boiling broth, savoring the flavors while engaging in lively conversation in a cozy setting. A little secret: the spicier and more numbing the hot pot, the more it enhances the natural sweetness of the fresh ingredients, making each bite a memorable one.
- Suggested venue: Shu Jiu Xiang Hot Pot Restaurant, Lao Ma Tou, Li Xuan (Chengdu, Sichuan).
- Price range: 150 - 300 CNY/ serving of hot pot.
2. Sichuan Tofu - Famous Mapo Tofu
Mapo Tofu is the dish that defines Sichuan cuisine. The name “Ma Bà” in Chinese refers to an old woman with a pockmarked face, named after a woman named Chen during the Qing Dynasty. Legend has it that Mrs. Chen used humble ingredients such as tofu, minced meat, and Sichuan bean paste to create this unique dish.
Mapo Tofu stands out with its bright red, glossy sauce coating each piece of tofu, blending the subtle sweetness of meat with the aromatic flavors of spring onions and green peppercorns. When you take a bite, the creamy tofu combines with the intense numbing spiciness that bursts on your tongue, creating a harmonious symphony of flavors for your taste buds.
This dish, when enjoyed with hot rice, will surely make it hard for diners to stop eating. Interestingly, according to the locals, the more you eat Mapo Tofu, the more your taste buds get used to the spice, eventually becoming addicted to that numbing heat!
- Suggested venue: Chen Mapo Tofu, Tian Tian Fan Dian (Chengdu, Sichuan).
- Price range: 40 - 80 CNY/ serving.
3. Sichuan Spicy Chicken Feet - A Tempting Street Snack
A visit to Sichuan wouldn’t be complete without trying this iconic street food—spicy chicken feet. The chicken feet are marinated, then simmered until tender, and soaked in a tangy, spicy sauce that offers a delightful, unique taste. You can nibble on the chicken feet, enjoying the chewy skin that’s soaked in the bold spicy sauce.
The key to maintaining the crispiness of the dish is to thoroughly clean the chicken feet before soaking them in the special sauce. Don’t forget, Sichuan spicy chicken feet taste even better when paired with a cold beer, making it an irresistible late-night snack. This dish is a common favorite in many roadside eateries in Sichuan, attracting travelers eager to give it a try.
- Suggested venue: Yulin Tasty Shashlik (Chengdu, Sichuan).
- Price range: 20 - 40 CNY/ serving.
4. Kung Pao Chicken - Aromatic Spicy Stir-Fried Delight
Kung Pao Chicken, or "Gongbao Jiding", is a quintessential dish from Sichuan that simply can’t be missed. The dish is said to be named after a Qing Dynasty official, Ding Baozhen. Legend has it that he loved stir-fried chicken with dried chilies and peanuts, prompting chefs to create this flavorful recipe to please his palate. The combination of tender chicken, the rich nuttiness of peanuts, and the bold, fiery taste of dried chilies gives the dish its distinct character.
When you take a bite, you’ll experience a delightful sauce that’s both spicy and lightly sweet, accented with the distinctive aroma of Sichuan peppercorns. The chicken is chopped into bite-sized pieces, stir-fried to absorb the spices while keeping its crisp tenderness. To fully savor this dish, it’s best enjoyed with a side of white rice to balance the heat and create a perfect harmony of flavors.
- Suggested venue: Chen Mapo Tofu, Li Xuan (Chengdu, Sichuan)
- Price range: 40-60 CNY/ serving.
5. Spicy Cold Chicken – A Refreshing Appetizer
Spicy Cold Chicken, known as "Liang Ban Ji", is a must-have appetizer in Sichuan cuisine, especially during the hot summer months. The chicken is boiled just enough to preserve its natural sweetness, shredded into bite-sized pieces, and then drizzled with a special sauce made from vinegar, soy sauce, chili oil, sesame oil, and Sichuan peppercorns.
To enhance the dish, it is often sprinkled with crispy roasted peanuts, sesame seeds, and finely chopped green onions. Each piece of chicken is tender, chilled, and melts in your mouth, combined with a subtle tingling heat from Sichuan peppercorns and dried chilies, creating a contrast that stimulates every sense.
A great tip for enjoying Liang Ban Ji to the fullest is to slowly savor each bite and then follow it up with a sip of chrysanthemum tea to cool the heat. This is the ideal option for those who want to experience a Sichuan dish that is both spicy and refreshing, offering something uniquely different.
- Suggested venue: Yu’s Family Kitchen, Chengdu.
- Price range: 30-50 CNY/ serving.
6. Twice-Cooked Pork – Tender and Fragrant Sichuan Specialty
Twice-cooked pork (Hui Guo Rou) is a beloved rustic dish that’s considered one of Sichuan's most famous. True to its name, the pork is first boiled briefly, then allowed to cool, after which it is sliced and stir-fried with seasonings such as chili, garlic, onions, and, notably, the fermented black soy sauce from Sichuan.
This preparation method ensures the pork remains tender, absorbing deep flavors while achieving a crispy, fragrant outer layer that’s rich and fatty but not greasy. In Sichuan, people often wrap the pork in lettuce leaves or simply enjoy it with white rice, highlighting the harmonious balance of salty and sweet flavors. Hui Guo Rou is not only a traditional dish but also a point of pride in the culinary culture of Sichuan.
- Recommended restaurant: Yu’s Family Kitchen, Chen Mapo Tofu (Chengdu, Sichuan).
- Estimated price: 50-70 CNY/ serving.
7. Dan Dan Noodles - A Famous Sichuan Street Food
When you visit Sichuan, you can’t miss the iconic Dan Dan noodles, a beloved specialty found in the vibrant food streets. The name “Dan Dan” comes from the way street vendors carry their pots and utensils on bamboo poles, evoking a nostalgic image of the local lifestyle. This dish combines chewy noodles with a spicy sauce made from chili, pepper, sesame paste, green onions, and minced pork. One bite of the noodles, and you’ll immediately taste the fiery heat and the rich, nutty flavor, a hallmark of Sichuan cuisine.
The common way to enjoy Dan Dan noodles is to mix them well so the flavors soak into every strand. The dish is served dry, although some places may add broth to make the noodles softer. In Sichuan, it’s often served as an appetizer at banquets, providing a spicy kick to awaken the taste buds and prepare you for the next course.
- Suggested restaurant: Xiao Ming Tang Dan Dan Tian Shui Mian (Chengdu, Sichuan)
- Estimated price: 25-30 CNY/ serving
8. Spicy and Sour Vermicelli – A Taste Sensation in Sichuan
Spicy and sour vermicelli (Suan La Fen) is a traditional dish from Sichuan, famous for its distinctive balance of sourness and heat. The dish consists of soft, chewy sweet potato noodles served with a hot, flavorful broth. The broth is made from black vinegar, chili peppers, green peppercorns, and other unique spices, delivering a fiery and numbing sensation on the tongue.
Suan La Fen is typically found at street food stalls and is especially favored during the summer due to its refreshing sweet and sour taste. The people of Sichuan believe that the spiciness of this dish helps to release heat and moisture from the body, offering a small health tip for balancing the body in the hot, humid weather of the region.
- Recommended restaurant: Chongqing Xiao Mian (Chengdu, Sichuan)
- Price range: Suggested places to try: Chengdu (Price: 10-15 RMB/ serving)
Additional recommendation: Hot Pot King, Chengdu (Price: 12-18 RMB/ serving).
9. Sichuan-style Spicy Dumplings – Long Chao Shou
Long Chao Shou dumplings are a famous Sichuan snack with over 70 years of history. These dumplings feature a paper-thin wrapper that encloses a filling of finely minced pork, green onions, and various spices. The standout feature of Long Chao Shou is the spicy, fragrant sauce that coats the dumplings. When eaten, the soft dumplings melt in the mouth, leaving a rich and delightful aftertaste.
In Sichuan, Long Chao Shou is often served with a hot, spicy broth. A bowl of these dumplings appears as a small work of art, with the red broth and green onions creating a visually stunning and flavorful experience that perfectly embodies the region's culinary style.
- Recommended restaurant: Long Chao Shou, Chengdu.
- Price range: 18-22 CNY/ serving.
10. Famous Fuqi Feipian – A Symbolic Dish of Love in Sichuan
Fuqi Feipian, which translates to 'Husband and Wife Lung Slices' in Chinese, is known as a dish that symbolizes love between couples in Sichuan cuisine. Since the 1930s, a couple from Chengdu invented a way to use lesser-valued beef cuts like lungs, tongue, and heart to create an affordable yet nutritious dish.
Today, the main ingredients have been upgraded to more tender and flavorful cuts like beef tongue and tripe. Fuqi Feipian is served entirely cold, with thin slices of beef mixed with special spices and sauce. The fiery heat of chili oil, combined with the freshness of cilantro and crunchy roasted peanuts, will certainly captivate your taste buds.
- Recommended restaurant: Lao Ma Tou (Chengdu, Sichuan)
- Price range: 40-60 CNY per serving.
11. Spicy Boiled Chicken with Hot Sauce - Sichuan
Gà Bobo is a traditional and long-standing dish from Sichuan, dating back to the Qing Dynasty. The name 'Bobo' refers not only to the dish but also to the unique ceramic bowl that holds the chicken and its spicy sauce. The chicken is boiled until cooked, then cut into small pieces, skewered, and dipped into a special hot sauce made with chili oil, sesame oil, and other spices.
Visitors delight in dipping each skewer of chicken into the sweet-spicy sauce, savoring the stimulating sensation on their tongues. With its alluring spicy flavor and fun eating experience, Gà Bobo is sure to captivate many diners.
- Recommended restaurant: Tian Fu Noodles (Chenghua District, Chengdu).
- Price range: 30-50 CNY per serving.
12. Spicy Fried Chicken Balls in Sichuan
Spicy Fried Chicken Balls (Laziji) is a very famous and iconic dish in Sichuan cuisine. Small pieces of chicken are evenly seasoned, deep-fried until crispy, and then stir-fried with a large amount of dried chilies and Sichuan peppercorns, creating a numbing spicy flavor accompanied by a tantalizing fragrance.
Laziji is also a challenge for diners due to the extreme spiciness that can leave you feeling 'headachey.' To tone down the heat, you can pair the dish with some white rice. However, it's the intense spiciness and the crispy exterior, tender interior of the chicken that make this dish a must-have at parties or gatherings with friends in Sichuan.
- Recommended restaurant: Huangcheng Laoma (Chengdu, Sichuan).
- Price range: 25-35 CNY per serving.
13. Eggplant with Fish-Fragrant Sauce
When in Sichuan, you can't miss the dish 'Yu Xiang Qie Zi' (Fish-Fragrant Eggplant), a curious dish with a unique name: 'fish fragrance' but no fish! Legend has it that this sauce was originally created to mask the smell of fish, but when combined with eggplant, it became an amazing dish.
The 'fish fragrance' sauce is a mix of garlic, salted red chilies, ginger, and green onions, resulting in a sweet, sour, and spicy taste that's characteristic of the dish. A little secret: the eggplant is stir-fried at high heat before the sauce is added, ensuring that each piece of eggplant is infused with flavor while maintaining its crispness. This is a must-have dish in family meals, especially in cooler weather.
- Recommended restaurant: Yu Xiang Qie Zi House, Chengdu Taste.
- Price range: 40-60 CNY per serving.
14. Famous Spicy Fish in Oil from Sichuan
When talking about Sichuan cuisine, one cannot miss the famous spicy fish in oil (Shui Zhu Yu). As the spicy food craze spread in the late 1990s, this dish quickly became a staple on every restaurant's menu. Fresh fish slices are briefly blanched in boiling water, then dipped into a hot, sizzling pan of oil, topped with dry chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns.
The flavor of Shui Zhu Yu is truly unique, with a blend of fiery heat from the chilies, a numbing sensation from the peppercorns, and the fragrant aroma of sesame oil. Diners are advised to carefully pick out each piece of fish from the oil and slowly savor the tender, flavorful fish, infused with bold spices. This dish truly tests your spice tolerance and delivers an unforgettable thrill.
- Recommended restaurant: Shu Jiu Xiang Hot Pot Restaurant, Chen Mapo Tofu.
- Price range: 60 - 80 CNY per serving.
15. Shaokao Grilled Meat - A Beloved Snack in Sichuan
Shaokao, or Sichuan-style grilled skewered meat, is a popular street snack in the bustling streets of Sichuan. Known as a western-influenced street food culture in China, Shaokao is more than just grilled meat—various vegetables, tofu, and seafood are skewered, generously seasoned with spicy spices, and grilled over hot coals.
This dish is often dipped in a special sauce made from sesame oil, garlic, and other spices, adding a rich depth of flavor to each piece of meat. Most visitors enjoy the experience of choosing their skewers from a display stand and waiting for the grilled meat to cook over an open flame. It's the perfect time to socialize, chat, and soak in the vibrant nightlife atmosphere of Sichuan. If you're a fan of street food, don't miss the chance to try this dish.
- Recommended spot: Jinli Night Market (Chengdu, Sichuan).
- Price range: 10 - 20 CNY per skewer.
Sichuan cuisine is truly an unforgettable sensory journey, offering a wide array of colorful dishes with unique spicy and numbing flavors. Each dish reflects the creativity and character of the people of Sichuan, leaving an indelible impression on every diner.
Don't forget to explore other interesting blog posts on Mytour: 25 Chinese Regional Specialties You Must Try in Your Lifetime, 15 Taiwanese Specialties You Absolutely Must Try, 30 Korean Specialties for Mukbang Warriors, 20 Japanese Street Foods That Will Make You Crave Them Just by Hearing the Name, Latest Travel Tips for Sichuan, China, Detailed 4-Day, 4-Night Sichuan Self-Guided Travel Itinerary, How to Apply for a Chinese Travel Visa Updated for 2024.
What are you waiting for? Plan your Sichuan food tour today and dive into the region's signature dishes!
