Fried rabbit with chili
This is one of the local specialties in Chengdu and is considered by many as a symbol of the city. The main ingredient is rabbit meat. The meat is grilled over fire until the outer skin is shiny and golden brown, then cut into small pieces and fried over high heat with a large amount of chili peppers such as red chili, green chili, Sichuan chili. The spices are the deciding factor in the deliciousness of this dish.
Smoked sausage
This is a snack that you can easily buy as a gift after your trip to Chengdu. Smoked sausage has a characteristic spicy taste, the sweetness of sugar blends with the salty, rich flavor of meat and the faint smoky scent is very delicious. You absolutely should not miss this dish when traveling to Chengdu because its price is also very pleasant and economical.
Cold chicken in chili oil
The winter in Chengdu is quite colder than other areas of Sichuan, so the specialties here all have a very distinctive spicy and hot flavor and chili oil. Although the chilli chicken in chili oil has a typical spicy taste of Chengdu cuisine, it does not have a hot element, so it can be said that this is a rare dish that is hard to find. To prepare it, people will use each piece of boiled chicken according to a secret recipe, then take it out to drain, and when it cools, pour a unique red-yellow sauce with a strong pungent smell of chili oil on top. In addition to chicken, this dish also has sugar and black sesame to help balance the spiciness and enhance the flavor. The chilli chicken in chili oil dish is absolutely a dish that can only be found in heaven for those who can eat spicy food, but it is also hell for those who cannot eat spicy food. If you cannot eat spicy food, you should just look at it.
Sichuan Dumplings in Chili Oil
Chili oil is a vital condiment for Chengdu people. The dumplings used to make this dish are different from others because their skin is very thin, without baking powder, and folded into a crescent shape to cover the filling of only pork and fresh ginger. After being steamed, the dumplings are covered with chili oil. The chili oil, processed with sugar, garlic... is the soul of the dish. Take a bite and you will feel the spicy flavor permeate your stomach.
Mapo tofu (Mapo tofu)
Ma Po Tofu is named after its creator, a pockmarked Qing Dynasty woman. It is made with soft tofu and minced beef or pork, and a spicy Sichuan bean sauce with peppers. It is a dish with a distinctively spicy taste that will leave your tongue and lips tingling.
Dandan noodles
This is a dish that was born a long time ago, around 1841. A complete bowl of noodles includes the main ingredients of minced pork at the bottom, egg noodles that have been boiled and seasoned with spices on top: pepper, vinegar, chili sauce and green onions... Dandan noodles are often used as an appetizer at parties, with a unique spicy flavor that can awaken all your senses immediately.
Wood-grilled chicken
This dish is made with fresh chicken, fried with ginger and Sichuan pepper, then stewed with fermented bean water, soaked with chili, garlic and pickles, and finished with some potatoes and green beans. The wood-grilled chicken is served hot at the table, the chef will bring it out and place the pan right in the middle of the table to prepare it before the diners' eyes.
Steamed spiced beef in a pot
This is a classic dish of Leshan, with a soft and smooth meat like tofu, seemingly melting in the mouth from the first bite. The meat preparation process is very elaborate, from coating the beef with rice flour, adding minced garlic, chili powder... to steaming the meat in a bamboo pot long enough for the spices to blend together, the meat juice thickens and gives off a rich aroma. This dish is not too spicy, so even if you can't eat spicy food, you can still enjoy it.
