It is unclear how chili peppers found their way into Szechuan cooking. Chili peppers came to China only during the 15th century, following Christopher Columbus’ discovery of a route to the Orient. The area is in a landlocked part of Western China, in a mountainous region. Chili peppers are believed to have come to China either via the Silk Route through India or from Portuguese and Spanish sailors who entered China through its ports.
Food preservation techniques, which include salting, drying, smoking and pickling, are common in Szechuan cooking. All kinds of chili, garlic and onion are used. Other distinctly Oriental ingredients used are lot yau (chili oil), see jeung (bean paste and sauces), ginger and soy beans.
Before chilis entered the Szechuan diet, the Chinese were using a different pepper, known as Chinese pepper or fagara, that is really a berry from the prickly ash tree. Although it is not chili pepper, it has a unique flavor that is famous for having a numbing effect on the tongue.
It is this flavor that was lacking from the dishes presented to media during a recent Szechuan food tasting at the Tin Hau. The dishes were flavored with garlic, chili, coriander and Chinese wine, but not with Chinese pepper. I am not really fond of spicy dishes, yet if I were to be treated to Szechuan food and not taste the Chinese pepper’s unique flavor in any of dishes, I feel shortchanged.
The selection of cold appetizers offered a melange of flavors. The marinated cuttlefish in mashed garlic was mild and tasty, while the diced chicken with Mandarin orange peel in red peppers tasted rather savory with its soy-based sauce. The marinated duckling in salt water was a bit salty, and this contrasted well with the marinated white cabbage Szechuan-style, which was tart. The play of flavors was a subtle preparation for the spicy dishes to come. This simply means that you should take out your hankie and reach for a pitcher of water to help you cool down in case you bite into something hot.
The fish broth with black mushroom and coriander had the refreshing hint of coriander. It would be a mistake to liven it up with a drop of two of black vinegar, which was what I did, because it ruined the soup’s mild flavor.
The spicy dishes that followed brought out the different degrees of spiciness possible with or without the use of chili pepper. The stir-fried prawns with vegetables in hot garlic was a familiar flavor. Anyone crazy about garlic will love this. The steamed beef tenderloin, mashed rice, vermicelli and hot chili are spicy hot because of the chili. The next dish, stir-fried sliced chicken with celery in red chili, provided the palate a pleasant shock because the spice was solely in the chili and not in the chicken.
The succeeding Szechuan specialties were mild and delicate in flavor. The sautéed diced chicken with bamboo shoots and cucumber had a sweetish nutty flavor, while the braised Tintsien white cabbage with chestnuts cleansed the palate before the piece de resistance was served – steamed live garoupa in Chinese wine. The final Tan Tan noodles had just a whiff of chili oil for added spice.
A special treat for Chinese food lovers is the hot pot Szechuan-style. The broth is laced with chili peppers that intensify in flavor as the stock bubbles on. It comes with fish ball, fresh black mushroom, cuttlefish, bean curd, prawns, fish filler, beef tenderloin and crab.
Chef Sun is a native of Beijing. He honed his special skills in Szechuan cooking in the early 1980s while working in Beijing and Szechuan hotels.
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