Selfie trying spicy BBQ squid!
I know you can never have too many panda posts but I thought I’d mix it up a little and tell you a bit about Ya’an and the delicious Sichuan Chinese food here. We’ve been in China for two weeks, so of course we have tried all of the new foods! I enjoy spicy food and was not too put off by Sichuan’s reputation for being very spicy. I was excited to try new foods and did not hesitate to dive right in starting with some amazing street food in Chengdu.
Street vendor in the wide and narrow alleys in Chengdu.
Little did I know I would soon discover one of the most interesting spices I have experienced! This little spice is called huā jiāo or flower pepper and goes by many names including, Sichuan peppercorn and ma.
A pile of ma from one of our dishes!
For all of you botany nerds out there this spice comes from the prickly ash tree in the Zanthoxylum genus. It has a citrusy flavor and gives your mouth a tingly numb feeling that hits you like an electric shock to the tongue. At first I thought I had underestimated the spiciness of the Sichuan food and that it was the chilies making my whole mouth go numb. Soon I learned that this sensation was from a specific spice not in the chili family. Perhaps they include ma to purposefully numb their mouths and consume spicier food? It is in many of the dishes here including some of the regions famous dishes mápó dòufu, hot pot, and niú ròu miàn.
Discovering what hot pot is all about. Lots of ma in the original spicy pot!
Alyssa and Ari enjoying a stir fry meal featuring some of our favorites; mápó dòufu, tomato egg, twice cooked pork, and a mushroom dish.
Although ma is slightly off putting at first it has grown on me in short time I’ve been here and I can tell it is something I’ll crave when I’m back stateside. It is hard to pick a favorite food so far but like the others I do like the boazi for breakfast, mápó dòufu, and the noodles.
Nicki enjoying her morning ròu (pork) boazi.
We have also found a local “Chili’s” near our apartment! No this is not a real Chili’s but much like the American restaurant they serve a little bit of everything from stir fry to noodles to fried rice to dumpling soup. Now that we kind of have a feel for what we like we have ventured to the open air markets to make our own meals. We’ve only brushed the surface of new foods and I can’t wait to try more.
Bought a fried duck from the market behind our apartment.
Open air market in Ya’an.
Because I couldn’t resist posting a panda picture I have added a pic of Ying Hua eating one of her favorite snacks, bamboo shoots!
Ying Hua snacking on bamboo shoots.
Gānbēi!
-Jenn
