Sichuan Street Food

I mentioned that Sichuan food was marked by spice, but it's not the kind of spice that makes your eyes tear or your nose run; it's the kind of spice, unlike any other I've had before, that makes your mouth numb. And it doesn't hit you all at once, it kind of sneaks up on you after a few bites.

Signature dishes include mapo tofu -- cubes of soft tofu with ground pork drenched in hot (as in red, spicy) oil and topped with seasonings -- and hot pot -- similar to what we've had in Beijing, but the "broth" here is hot oil. Sense a trend? Kung pao chicken (which is really "gong bao ji ding") also comes from this region of China, and, like mapo tofu, bursts with flavor. Interestingly enough, it's sweeter here, and not as spicy as most other Sichuan dishes.

The real treasures though are found on the streets: meat and tofu skewers coated with those renowned mouth-numbing spices, and rice cakes and noodles that come in a variety of  shapes and sizes, served in a variety of vessels, including pineapple and banana leaves. The famous Sichuan noodle dish is dan dan noodles -- fresh noodles (the kind where you can taste the difference) topped with ground pork and seasonings, tossed with hot oil (there it is again) and spices. 

Oh, did I forget to mention the rabbit heads? Yup, those are part of Sichuan fare. And no, I couldn't bring myself to eat one.