Here for a Numbing Good Time?
Oily. Spicy. Numbing.
3 words that perfectly describe the flavour of Szechuan dishes. Don’t let the sheer volume of chilies intimidate you. Just one try and you’ll see why so many Singaporeans are quickly developing a taste for the signature tingling sensation of this vermillion-hued cuisine.
Let us be your guide into the aromatic world of the Szechuan peppercorn, as we introduce to you 5 dishes that thread the fine line between pleasure and pain.
1. Sichuan Boiled Fish 水煮鱼
One of the Sichuan’s most iconic dishes. Slices of fish that is white as snow, soft as custard, floating in a bowl of red hot broth that is topped with oil that is infused with dried chili and peppercorn. Simultaneously comforting and stimulating to the palate, this dish is perfect with a bowl of rice and is equally good prepared with sliced beef, pork or chicken.
Fetch it: Old Chengdu Sichuan Cuisine Restaurant, Zhong Hua Bao Ding Chinese BBQ, Oriental Chinese Restaurant, Old Chengdu Impressions, Zhong Guo Hao Wei Dao
2. Wanton with Red Chili Oil 红油抄手
Don’t let its simple appearance fool you. If you think these are just wantons in chili sauce, you’d be right, but you’d also be wrong. They’re a juicy, tender, spicy, sour, oh-so-good explosion of flavour in your mouth.
Boiled dumplings, made sexier. Now that’s hot.
Fetch at: Old Chengdu Sichuan Cuisine Restaurant, Lao Si Chuan
3. Spicy Marinated Steamed Chicken 口水鸡
Great as an appetiser for sharing, or as a cold entree for one, the garlicky, spicy, mouth-numbing sauce on tender white-cut chicken is incredible drizzled on top of rice after you’re done inhaling this dish. Just remember to stop your waiter from clearing your plate before you’ve done that.
Fetch it: Formosa Delights, Kuan Kuan Spicy Hotpot & Nourishing Soup, Oriental Chinese Restaurant, Old Chengdu Impressions
4. Hot and Sour Glass Noodles 酸辣粉
Are the spicy, sour, and numbing combinations endless? Sichuan’s most popular street food might just convince you of that. Chewy glass noodles dressed in a blend of seasonings unique to every place that serves the dish; you won’t find two iterations that taste the same.
Be warned though, this dish is so appetising, you might find yourself eating more than you intended to.
Fetch it: Lao Si Chuan, Good Come Again, Zhong Guo Hao Wei Dao
5. Chong Qing Chili Chicken 辣子鸡
Need a break from all the spicy, sour and numbing combinations? Here is one that is only drowned in dried chili and peppercorn. So much so that you have to search for the chicken pieces among the chili peppers.
The chicken are marinated then deep fried to reduce the moisture in the chicken, allowing the mala flavours can infuse better into the chicken. It is different from the usual mala that you are used to, but in a good way.
Fetch it: Lao Si Chuan, Oriental Chinese Restaurant
Want to try them but don’t know where to start?
