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Szechuan Cooking
Many people when asked about Szechuan cuisine immediately think of hot, spicy food that has you gulping down copious amounts of water for the rest of the evening to try and cool their burning taste buds. People are then often surprised to discover that at least of one-third of the recipes that make up Szechuan cuisine are not spicy at all. That is not to say that Szechuan's reputation for producing "mouthburners" is undeserved. But, along with fiery classics such as "Hot and Numbing Fish" and "Kung Pao Chicken," Szechuan is the home of "Tea Smoked Duck", which is a fascinating dish made by smoking a duck over tea leaves. It is unclear precisely how chili peppers were introduced to Szechuan, a landlocked, mountain-ringed region in western China.
The most accepted view is that Indian missionaries brought chilies with them during their travels along China's famous Silk Route - a series of pathways originally constructed during the Han dynasty for military and strategic purposes that subsequently gained more importance as a major trade route.
Another theory is that they were brought in by Chinese merchants trading with Portuguese and Spanish sailors at various seaports. In any event, today chili peppers are an indispensable feature of Chinese regional cuisine. Dried peppers are frequently used in Szechuan dishes, while cooks favor fresh peppers in the neighboring province of Hunan. Tip - Ever hear the expression "Oil and water don't mix"? It's true, which is why drinking water doesn't help combat the effects of spicy foods. Since most spices are oily, the water just rolls over the spice. Eat rice instead - it absorbs the hot chili oil.
Beer or milk also help. Szechuan pepper is an important ingredient in Szechuan cooking, also known as pepper flower, Chinese pepper. Szechuan pepper is not a pepper at all. Instead, the reddish-brown fruit - one of the ingredients in five spice powder - is a berry that comes from the prickly ash tree. While not as hot as chili pepper, it does have a unique flavor, and is famous for its numbing effect on the tongue. Of course, all of this begs the question: how did the Szechuanese develop their taste for fiery hot cuisine? One common explanation is that Szechuan's muggy, humid climate encourages people to eat strongly spiced foods. There's more to it than that, however.
Szechuan dishes often contain many flavors, such as sweet, sour,
bitter, hot, salty, aromatic, and fragrant. Hot foods like red chilli stimulate
the palate, making it more sensitive to all these flavors. In addition, they
cleanse the palate in preparation for the next dish.
Foods featured in Szechuan cooking
Chili peppers, Szechuan pepper, garlic, salt, and dried and pickled ingredients
such as Szechuan preserved vegetable. Beef, lamb, and pork, although the
Szechuanese eat less pork than neighboring Hunan, which is famous for its ham.
Cooking methods: Szechuan cooks employ a variety of cooking methods, from
stir-frying to roasting and simmering. Twice Cooked Pork, where the pork is
first boiled and then stir-fried, is a classic regional dish.
Szechuan Chicken Recipe
INGREDIENTS: * 4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, about 7 ounces each * 2
egg whites * 2 tablespoons cornstarch Sauce: * 2 tablespoons rice wine, dry
sherry or cooking wine * 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce * 2 teaspoons Tabasco
sauce * 2 tablespoons sesame oil * 1 tablespoon soy sauce * 2 tablespoon brown
sugar * 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper * 1/2 teaspoon crushed dried red chillies,
or to taste * 2 slices ginger, minced, to form 1 tablespoon Other: * 4 carrots,
cut into thin strips * 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced * 1/2 green bell pepper,
sliced * 3 green onions, chopped * 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
PREPARATION: 1. Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. 2. Cut the
chicken breasts into thin strips. (Partially freeze chicken breasts first to
make this easier). 3. Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set
aside. 4. Whisk the cornstarch into the egg whites and coat the chicken strips
with the mixture 5. Heat 1 cup oil in the wok & cook the chicken strips briefly
in the hot oil until they turn white. 6. Remove the chicken and drain on paper
towels. 7. Clean out the wok and add 1 tablespoon oil. 8. When the oil is hot,
add the carrots & stir-fry briefly before adding the peppers. 9. Make a "well"
in the middle of the wok and add the sauce. 10. Heat briefly then mix the sauce
in with the vegetables. 11. Return the chicken to the wok. 12. Stir-fry 1 to 2
more minutes then stir in the green onions. 13. Serve with rice.
About the Author
Matt owns Secret Chinese Recipes that helps people to cook chinese recipes