(repost from March 2013)

I don’t know much about regional Chinese cuisine, but the one I’ve explored a bit is Sichuanese.  If you imagine the map of China as Mickey Mouse’s head, Sichuan province is his right eye.

Sichuan is considered “western” China even though it’s (now) in the middle, much as the Midwest is in the middle of the U.S.  Ah, those expansionist empires……

The food has a not-entirely undeserved reputation for being spicy (as in hot), and developed supposedly as a foil to a damp, cold climate.  Many of the dishes are indeed hot, but many aren’t.

Most of what I know about Sichuanese cuisine (“SC” from now on) is from “Land of Plenty,” a cookbook by the rather amusingly named Fuchsia Dunlop (only in the UK…..).  There don’t seem to be any very good/comprehensive websites.

If you wanna cook SC, there are two essential ingredients, by which I mean they’re typically Sichuanese, and there is no good substitute.  Not that there are no substitutes at all — just that, if used, your food won’t have that “Sichuan flavor.”

Essential #1:  Chili bean paste. 

This is a mixture of chili, fermented beans, garlic and salt.  It’s a little hot from the chili, but mostly has a deep, intense flavor, which is hard to describe, from the fermented beans.  Ms. Dunlop recommends Lee Kum Kee brand, so that’s the only one I’ve tried.

At $3.29 for 13 oz., it’s a little pricey and a jar doesn’t last for long, especially since a lot of recipes start out with “fry 3 Tbsp. chili bean sauce….”

(Update: I’ve tried few more of these and made my own, search on “doubanjian” if interested.)

Essential #2: Sichuan pepper. 

Which has nothing to do with pepper as we know it, and is in fact the dried husks of the Prickly Ash bush (Zanthoxylum sp.)  Even more than chili bean paste, it has no substitute.

When you open up the bag, there’s a huge hit of lemony, citrusy smell, but the real effect is on your tongue.  Place just one of these babies in your mouth for a minute, without chewing …..and your tongue will go half numb and a bit tingly (prickly, even).  A Chinese co-worker compared it to novocaine an hour after you’ve left the dentist, although the effect only lasts for a few minutes.

It’s the “ma” in “ma la,” numbing and hot, chili peppers providing the “la.”

I would strongly, strongly disrecommend getting the powdered version.  More than most spices, Sichuan peppercorns seem to lose their potency quickly, and you want maximal “ma.”  🙂

Non-essentials:

These are ingredients that are used in SC, but also in other regions of China, and for which there are reasonable substitutes.

Xiaoxing (Shaoshing) cooking wine, black vinegar, and chili oil.  Dry sherry can substitute for the first, and (especially if it’s cheap) balsamic vinegar for black vinegar.  Ms. Dunlop recommends making your own chili oil, since it’s….yup, chilis in oil.  If you do try any of her recipes, keep in mind that she uses her homemade version, much less hot than the commercial versions.

I would recommend trying varieties of black vinegar, which vary quite a lot.  Some have more of a mellow balsamic flavor, whereas others are much more acidic.

Fuchsia also mentions that another ingredient,  “pickled chili paste,” is essentially the same thing as sambal oelek, or in a pinch, sriracha (Rooster Sauce.)  I use both:

As for soy sauce, I’ve settled on Pearl River Bridge, which has a real depth of flavor, and is a bargain at $4.99 for 0.475 gallons

The one other ingredient that Ms. Dunlop often calls for is “pickled vegetable,” which goes under the name of “ca gai/zhao gai” and a few others.  They’re all variants on a theme, leafy/stemmy vegetables that have been pickled.  The real variation seems to be not in the particular vegetable, but rather in the relative amounts of salt/vinegar used.

Of the ones I’ve tried, the one I didn’t like was the one in the (surely faux) earthenware jar.

Speaking of salt….a lot of recipes in SC seem excessively salty to me.  I immediately ignore any call for salt in a recipe that contains soy, pickled chilis or chili bean paste, and for all recipes, start out with half the soy.  Except for long-cooked dishes, it doesn’t seem to make much of a difference if you add soy near the end. 

Dan-Dan Noodles

There are two completely different versions of this dish, one calling for sesame paste/peanut butter and the other without.  I much prefer the version with sesame paste.

1.  (optional) Fry off 8 oz. ground pork or beef in oil, breaking it up as you go, and set aside.

2.  Sauté 3 Tbsp. finely chopped garlic, 2 Tbsp. peeled and finely chopped ginger, and 4 Tbsp. finely chopped onion in 4 Tbsp oil until fragrant (1-2 minutes).

3.  Boil 12 oz. dry thin Chinese egg noodles for 5 minutes or 2 minutes for fresh. (or use ordinary egg noodles and cook according to package directions). 

4.  Mix 2 Tbsp. sesame paste or peanut butter, 2 Tbsp. dark soy, 1 Tbsp. chili oil, 1 tsp. sesame oil, 1 Tbsp. ground Sichuan pepper, and 8 oz. chicken stock.  Add to (2) and simmer for 5-7 minutes (it will thicken as it cooks).

5.  Drain noodles well and top with (1), if using, and sauce.  Sprinkle with chopped roasted peanuts.

(This recipe would be perfect if it weren’t such a PITA to chop 3 tablespoons of garlic and 2 of ginger, but don’t skimp on the amounts.  I usually make a double batch…the sauce keeps/freezes well.