Chinese · lunch
20m
Total time
2
Servings
520
kcal
easy
Difficulty
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FAQ · Things people ask
Chili crisp is a condiment with chili oil as its base plus fried aromatics (garlic, shallots, sometimes Sichuan peppercorn). Lao Gan Ma is the most widely available brand. It differs from plain chili oil in having texture and a more complex flavor.
Yes -- skip the cold rinse and toss immediately. The sauce absorbs differently at heat but still works. Cold is preferred because the noodle texture is better at room temperature.
Fresh alkaline noodles are best. Dried wheat noodles or even spaghetti work. The noodle should have some chew -- thin rice noodles become soggy too fast.
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Mapo tofu is Sichuan cooking at its most direct: silken tofu in a sauce built on fermented paste, two kinds of heat, and the numbing tingle that defines the mala profile. The dish works best when you do not temper any of it.
Kung Pao chicken is a Sichuan stir-fry built on three things arriving in the right order: velveted chicken, charred dried chilies, and a tart-sweet-spicy sauce that coats everything in seconds. Get the heat high and the timing tight.
Char siu is the pork that hangs in Cantonese restaurant windows, lacquered and gleaming -- but it is also one of the more forgiving things you can roast at home. The marinade does the heavy lifting; the oven does the rest.
Dan dan noodles take their name from the carrying pole street vendors used to balance pots of noodles and sauce -- a dish built for speed and directness, with sesame paste, chili oil, and Yibin preserved vegetable as its three pillars.