Do you ever find yourself in one of those situations where you put things off, and put them off again, finding the idea of them just too daunting? This was one of those times. Hot and numbing beef just sounded … Continued
Sichuan
Shangli: an ancient Sichuan trading town
At nine o’clock sharp a swoosh of sheets being pulled off tables sounded across the ancient wooden town. Then there was a communal rustling as bottoms settled into chairs. Finally a deafening click-clacking echoed through the stone streets. It was … Continued
Spicy Sichuan style partridge noodles
Never one to leave well enough alone, I’ve once again been tweaking and twisting, adding and amending. Often this is through store cupboard necessity, sometimes just sheer perversity. Whatever the reason, the results are always interesting. Sometimes they simply don’t … Continued
A quick and spicy rice noodle salad
You know that feeling where you just can’t really be bothered? Don’t want to spend ages cooking, don’t want to go out, want something tasty to pick you up after a long and hard day? This is a dish for … Continued
Gong Bao chicken with leeks and pistachios
You just know a dish has got something going for it when it had to undergo name changes and “political rehabilitation” in Communist China. Named for a 19th century Qing dynasty governor of Sichuan, it’s one of the spicy provinces … Continued
Sichuan style Chinese spinach
Sometimes simple is best. And the Chinese, along with the Vietnamese, Japanese and the Italians seem to have a real penchent for making simple dishes sing. A few ingredients, cooked fast, and served straight away. Ideal food for a light … Continued
Sichuan goose
The goose, the subject of a later blog, has been well and truly cooked. And eaten. And rendered down into stock and tubs of creamy fat. That all sounds a bit slaughterhousey but the end results were very good. However, … Continued
Steamed aubergine in an intense spicy and nutty sauce
Smooth. Slithery. Soft. The texture of well cooked aubergines is their defining characteristic. More so than the gently nutty flavour, the pendulous shape, the glorious shades of purple. The main thing aubergines really bring to a dish is their delightfully … Continued
Sichuan style fish flavoured pork
Let’s get the obvious bit out of the way first shall we. No, there is no fish in fish flavoured pork. It’s called that because it uses a mix of flavours and aromatics that are commonly used in seafood dishes. … Continued
Sichuan style cold pork belly & cucumber in a hot garlicky sauce
Nothing beats a good steak and there’s something special about the meeting of hot charcoal and lamb. But the meat I keep coming back to again and again, is that of the pig. Maybe it’s familiarity, maybe it’s that I … Continued