I recently flew over to my hometown of EmeiShan in China over Spring break. With the little time I had over spring break ,yet the never ending grub, I began eating the night of my arrival in Chengdu. Emeishan is located in the heart of the Sichuan province wildly known for its spicy and numbing flavours as well as Mount Emei. Everything is drenched in chili oil and accompanied by a spicy numbing flavour from the famous Sichuan peppercorns. The reason for the spicy cuisine in Sichuan, as my mom has explained, is due to the fact that the locals wanted a way to cool down over the humid summers. The spicy food combined with the hot summer days would allow for the locals to easily sweat and cool down, and the tradition of eating spicy food has been passed on till this day. Without further ado, allow me to showcase two of my favourite foods I ate during my trip to China.
One of my favourite treats is called a Baozi. Unlike most of Sichuan’s food, its not particularly spicy nor is it drenched in loads of chilli oil. A Baozi is a steamed bun filled with a variation of fillings from sweet bean paste called Doushabao or a meat/vegetable filling called Yacaibao common in Sichuan. Each province has its own unique version of this snack and the Sichuan provinces touch is adding spices into the steamed bun. I find this treat savoury as its salty in taste but combined with soy milk makes for an excellent breakfast and a great start to a day. Baozis are cheap costing 1 yuan or roughly 20 cents and are a staple food in Chinese culture.
The second dish is dry noodles and I had to travel to the city called Ya’an, the city in rain to try this delicious dish. These noodles are prepared with a layer of sauce made of ground beef mixed with chilli oil and spices topped with coriander. You have to mix the noodles along with the sauce yourself so a nice even coating is spread through the noodles. These were some of the best noodles I’ve ever had. The amount of spices and oil were just right in my opinion and fit my palate perfectly. The noodles cost around 8 yuan or $1.50 which is absolutely worth its price. Noodles are eaten in the morning and lunch and are also a staple part in Chinese culture. Not only are they worth the price but they are filling and savoury at the same time. The spices and chilli oil work well with the floury dough of the noodles, you just cannot pass up a bowl of Sichuan noodles in the morning.
While I was writing this blog, I found myself drooling at the thought of the scrumptious and delicious dishes that I ate over spring break. You just can’t find these same foods in Canada as they prepare it differently than back at home. I’ve gone to a few Sichuan restaurants in Canada and the menu items are prepared to accommodate westerners, making the food not as authentic as back home in Sichuan. If you ever have the opportunity to travel to China, I would definitely recommend visiting the Sichuan province its cuisine is unique in China.
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