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SCMP Reporter

AFTER eating tan tan noodles, you will not get a suntan, but do expect a flush on the face and tears in your eyes.

  Both are a small price to pay for a flaming hot Sichuan eating experience.

   Diners not accustomed to the searing style of cooking may want to suck a lozenge to soothe the fierce fire that storms from your lips down to your throat.

  The tan tan noodle recipe originated 150 years ago in Zigung, Sichuan.

  At that time, many noodle dishes were sold by hawkers who carried the food on a long stick resting on their shoulders.

  The term tan tan, (tan in Chinese means shouldering), was used to describe food sold in this way.

  One of those street snacks, with an appetising aroma derived from its sharp seasonings used in conjunction with fresh Sichuan bean sprouts, became an overwhelming favourite.

  It soon became known as tan tan and was the only one of the early noodle offerings to survive as a speciality of the region.

  In Hong Kong, though tan tan noodles are not sold on the streets by hawkers, the dish can be found in local Sichuan restaurants. However, the authenticity of the dish varies.

    What distinguished it were the seasonings and the aromas from fresh ingredients found only in Sichuan, said Guan Liyan, a Sichuan chef who recently arrived in Hong Kong.

  Mr Guan said the seasonings determined the flavour of the dish. Soya sauce, chilli sauce, spices, spring onion and Xufu bean sprouts were placed in the bowl and a proper amount of sizzling broth was poured on to create the sauce.

  The noodles, cooked until just tender, were then added, topped with crisply fried minced meat.

  'The meat must be thoroughly fried to remove the water.

  'Otherwise, it won't be crispy, which is one of the characteristics of the dish,' said Mr Guan after sampling noodles at two Sichuan restaurants.

  Instead of flooding the noodles with broth, which many Hong Kong restaurants did, Mr Guan said that in the authentic Sichuan style the noodles were served with a minimal amount of broth.

  'Too much broth will dilute the seasonings. And the Hong Kong style seems to be more sweet than spicy.

  'It seems that they have put in too much sugar,' said the chef, who also excels in other Chengdu snacks such as won ton, cold noodles and buns.

  He said people in Hong Kong seemed to be well-attuned to eating hot food. But many diners were still put off by the layers of glossy orange chilli oil floating on the surface of most Sichuan dishes.

  He suggested letting some sweet treats melt in the mouth to alleviate the effects of spicier dishes.

  'We usually start with the lighter dishes, then the spicy ones, and finish with something sweet. Desserts can clear the flame left on the tongue,' he said.

  Mr Guan is one of three Sichuan chefs who came to Hong Kong to redesign the menu for the House of Tang in the Metropole Hotel. The new, permanent menu will offer Sichuan and Cantonese dishes.

  The kitchen will make use of ingredients brought from Sichuan by the chefs and will import directly from the province to ensure that the dishes maintained the genuine Sichuan flavour.

  'Genuine ingredients from Sichuan are the prime factor to yield real Sichuan food. You can never make real tan tan noodles if you can't get Xufu bean sprouts from Yipin.

  'The broth brings out the aroma of the bean sprouts and makes the dish distinctive,' said Mr Guan.

  The chefs have brought cartons of bean sprouts and kilograms of peppercorn and bean paste, the ingredients that give the Sichuan dishes their distinctive bite.

  Apart from Chengdu snacks, other hot and cold Sichuan dishes such as sauteed diced chicken with peanut and chilli, braised bean curd with beef in chilli sauce, boiled slices of beef in chilli oil, sliced ox tendon and tripe, sliced pig's ear in red chilli oil, and Chongqing chilli hot-pot will also be served.

  The restaurant will not compromise on the spiciness of its dishes to pander to local palates but would serve hot dishes to remain true to the Sichuan style, Mr Guan said.



Flame on the tongue