First things first, is it Sichuan or Szechuan???
Szechuan is the phonetic spelling which was used in the West before the romanization of Chinese (called pinyin) was adopted in the 1980s. In pinyin, it is spelt Sichuan. In Chinese, 四川 四 (si - meaning four) and 川 (chuan - meaning river). Sichuan is a province in South West (south central actually) China. Some say that the map of China looks like a chicken… with that analogy, Sichuan is right in the stomach. Which is quite fitting as the cuisine of Sichuan is not only famous throughout China, but internationally as well.
There are 8 widely recognized Cuisines in China - most of them are from areas along the eastern coast, which is also where most of China’s population resides. The two exceptions are Sichuan and Hunnan - both landlocked provinces renowned for their use of spice. What distinguishes Sichuan from the other cuisines is its use of sichuan peppercorn, chilies, and the ability to take even the most mundane of ingredients to create fabulous dishes. Food in China is very regionalized. For example, when I first went to Sichuan I went to look for a dim sum restaurant, because that is what I knew as authentic Chinese food. In a city of (at that time) 13 million, there was not one dim sum restaurant! Because that is Cantonese food, not Sichuan. That being said, one may find Sichuan food all around China, because it is so well renowned and loved by all - even the very “regional eating” Chinese.
For any Sichuan food fans out there, you may have heard of the word mala. This is the flavor profile attached to Sichuan cuisine. 麻辣 - mala - translates to numbing- spice. The ma numbing flavor comes from the use of Sichuan Peppercorns (which are actually in the same botanical family as citrus - not chilies) and create a tingly, electric, buzzing, salivating, sensation on the palate. Sichuan peppercorns (also sometimes called prickly ash) are not spicy. The heat comes from la - or spicy. A variety of chilies are used in Sichuan cuisine.
When one thinks of sophisticated cuisines, perhaps French, or some other European country comes to mind. In Sichuan Cuisine (just a subdivision of Chinese mind you) there are 23 recognized “flavors” and 56 different cooking techniques. As compared to 5 mother sauces and a handful of techniques in French Cuisine. You do the math. Unfortunately, Chinese food in the West has gotten a bad rap due to oversimplification and adapting to local palates. In particular, Sichuan cuisine is at a further injustice because in most establishments it is not even being cooked by immigrants from Sichuan. The first immigrants from China were from coastal regions. As mentioned earlier, Sichuan province is far from the coast and thus the West did not see Sichuanese immigrants until much later. That is why most historical” Chinatowns” are mainly Cantonese or from other coastal provinces. Most “Szechuan Restaurants” (notice the spelling change) in the West, don't even use Sichuan peppercorns… a cornerstone of Sichuan cuisine.
At its heart, Sichuan Cuisine is wholesome and healing, sophisticated but simple, balanced and in-your-face. Although spicy heat is an integral part of the cuisine, done properly chilies should be used to bring out and enhance the flavors of the rest of the ingredients. The use of chilies also has a medicinal reason: Sichuan has a very humid climate and according to Traditional Chinese Medicine hot and spicy foods help one get rid of excess dampness in the body caused by the environment. A proper meal in Sichuan should have a balance of flavors, textures, shapes, and ingredients. There is a famous saying in Sichuan, 一菜一格，百菜百味 (yi cai yi ge, bai cai bai wei - "one dish, one shape/character, hundreds of dishes, hundreds of tastes." Meaning each dish has its distinctive characteristics, and 100 dishes will have 100 unique flavors. To show the complexity of just one facet, let's look at shape. The shape of the ingredients in the dish are often included in the name. Take the famous Kung Pao Chicken, for example. In Chinese, gong bao ji ding. Gong Bao was a governor of Sichuan in the Qing Dynasty who is credited for developing the dish. Ji means chicken, and ding means cubed. All the ingredients in Gong Bao Ji Ding should be cubed… if they were cut differently… well it just wouldn't be Gong Bao Ji Ding! The shape of the ingredients create different mouth feels (口感) and the diversity of shapes in a meal builds a more pleasurable dining experience. The same can be said for a dish’s smell, texture, and of course flavor.
Another integral part of Sichuan Cuisine, and all Cuisines of China, is the correlation between diet and health. Socrates is famously quoted saying “Let food be thy medicine…” but it is also very fundamental to Confucius’ teachings which form much of Chinese culture and tradition. Eating seasonal, fresh, and properly prepared foods are imperative to maintaining proper health, and thus greatly influence Chinese cuisine. Despite the exquisitely prepared meals one can have in a higher end restaurant in China, most would agree that the best meals are those from a village kitchen. Simple ingredients, picked fresh from the garden, paired with minimal but quality seasonings create something that even highly trained chefs can not match. With that, I would argue that homestyle cooking and recipes are the cornerstone of Sichuan Cuisine. With Sichuan Kitchen SLO, my goal is to culinarily place my guests at the table of a local kitchen in Sichuan. It is an honor to be able to pair the Central Coast’s fresh produce with quality sichuan spices to create simple yet unique dishes that will be both delicious and wholesome.
~ Garrett Morris
