https://www.scmp.com/rss/327536/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Flaky, layered buns are a specialty of Yunnan Province in southwestern China. The method of making them is similar to the process for a croissant. But instead of being baked, they’re steamed, creating a fluffy, pillowy pastry. A popular snack in Yunnan and neighboring Sichuan, posubao 破酥包, as it’s known in Chinese, is usually stuffed with mildly seasoned pork belly. Chen Wenjun, the owner of Xiang Man Lou in Sichuan, has been making posubao for over 20 years after he discovered them on a trip to... https://www.scmp.com/food/posubao-flaky-chinese-bun-croissant-steamed/article/3130661?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/posubao-flaky-chinese-bun-croissant-steamed/article/3130661?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Apr 2021 03:12:59 +0000 Thick, nutty, spicy—Sichuan-style dan dan noodles are ubiquitous in Chinese restaurants around the world. A surprisingly delicious combination of soup and noodles, the dish is punctuated by mouth-numbingly spicy chili and sesame paste sauce. But go to Sichuan, the birthplace of dan dan noodles, and you’ll find a very different version of the dish, served dry, with minced pork and without soup or sesame. So where did the soupy version come from? That is a story of politics, migration, and... https://www.scmp.com/food/sichuan-dan-dan-noodles-origins/article/3129235?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/sichuan-dan-dan-noodles-origins/article/3129235?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Apr 2021 08:55:04 +0000 Thick, nutty, spicy—Sichuan-style dan dan noodles are a beloved dish around the world. And obviously, they come from Sichuan, right? But when we went to Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, we found a completely different version of dan dan noodles that led us down a rabbit hole: where exactly did dan dan noodles come from? And why do the ones in Sichuan taste so differently from the ones served around the world?   This is part one of our two-part series in search of the original dan dan noodles. https://www.scmp.com/food/sichuan-dan-dan-noodles/article/3127958?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/sichuan-dan-dan-noodles/article/3127958?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Apr 2021 23:05:15 +0000 In the deep valleys and rugged hills framing the Dadu River in southwestern China, dark slender towers bristle among picturesque hamlets and terraced fields. Tapering skyward over 100 feet, their enigmatic profiles stand sentinel over a dramatic landscape tamed by fields and orchards. These days, the Dadu River is more synonymous with the construction of what’s expected to be the world’s tallest dam and a chain-link footbridge dating back to the Qing Dynasty. Roughly halfway between these two... https://www.scmp.com/travel/himalayan-towers-sichuan/article/3122058?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/travel/himalayan-towers-sichuan/article/3122058?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Feb 2021 07:46:50 +0000 If you’ve ever had Sichuan food or spicy hot pot, you’ve probably encountered the tingling sensation of Sichuan peppercorns. Despite the name, Sichuan peppercorns are not related to the more common black and white peppercorns you’ll find in a pepper shaker. Rather, Sichuan peppercorns are small berries from the prickly ash shrub, and while they are used across China, they are most strongly associated with the food of the southwest in Sichuan Province.  The berries have a thin, delicate husk... https://www.scmp.com/food/sichuan-peppercorns-united-states-regulations/article/3034007?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/sichuan-peppercorns-united-states-regulations/article/3034007?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Oct 2019 06:30:38 +0000 Corn is originally from the Americas, but it was introduced to China in the 1500s and quickly became a staple crop, particularly in northern parts of the country. Cornmeal is the most popular way to process corn. The kernels are ground into flour, which is used to make all manner of dishes, from bread and cake to chips and porridge. Although most corn in China today is used as animal feed, at its height in the 1940s, about two-thirds of China’s corn was consumed by people. In this exclusive... https://www.scmp.com/food/li-ziqi-traditional-chinese-corn-dishes/article/3025990?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/li-ziqi-traditional-chinese-corn-dishes/article/3025990?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Sep 2019 05:36:56 +0000 Blood—it’s not just the stuff of vampires. A natural byproduct of an animal slaughter, it’s rich in protein, iron, and other minerals, and is a culinary staple around the world. In parts of Europe, blood sausage is the most common way to eat blood, mixed with grains, meat, and fat. But in Asia, the selection is more diverse. In addition to blood sausage, there’s also pig blood cake—made with sticky rice as a base—and coagulated blood that takes on a texture similar to that of tofu. Zhenji Pig... https://www.scmp.com/food/all-ways-chinese-people-eat-blood/article/3022195?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/all-ways-chinese-people-eat-blood/article/3022195?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Aug 2019 11:33:07 +0000 Leslie Cheung was one of Asia’s hottest superstars in the 1980s and ’90s. His dashing good looks and silky voice made him a sensation, not just in his home city of Hong Kong but also in mainland China, where he was many people’s first exposure to outside pop music. Despite his success in music and film, Cheung struggled with depression and ultimately committed suicide in 2003. His death shocked fans around the world. But his memory lives on in a small cafe in Chengdu, about 1,000 miles away from... https://www.scmp.com/travel/leslie-cheung-cafe-chengdu-china/article/3016516?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/travel/leslie-cheung-cafe-chengdu-china/article/3016516?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Jun 2019 09:31:40 +0000 Up close, Yang Mian’s paintings might look like a bunch of dots, but step a little further away, and you’ll see the bigger picture. All of his pieces are dot renderings of famous Chinese paintings. Yang is a contemporary Chinese artist whose work has appeared in both international and domestic exhibitions since the 1990s. He graduated with a degree in oil painting from the Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts in 1997, but these days, he’s best known for his dot paintings. “When I’m in America and... https://www.scmp.com/culture/yang-mian-chinese-dot-painting/article/3015320?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/yang-mian-chinese-dot-painting/article/3015320?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Jun 2019 05:54:49 +0000 Xiaolongkan, one of China’s largest hot pot chains, is bringing its famous spicy soup to New York as early as the first quarter of next year, the company says. The Chengdu-based chain recently signed a lease for a 500-square-meter space in a new commercial complex in Flushing, one of New York’s biggest Chinatowns. It will be the chain’s first outpost in the United States. Xiaolongkan has over 800 locations in China. Although just five years old, it’s become one of the most popular hot pot... https://www.scmp.com/food/xiaolongkan-chinese-hot-pot-chain-new-york-city/article/3014839?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/xiaolongkan-chinese-hot-pot-chain-new-york-city/article/3014839?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Jun 2019 08:04:45 +0000 In China, hot pot is king. The premise is simple: a group of people gather around a simmering broth and dip raw slices of meat, vegetables, and other ingredients until they’re fully cooked. But China is a big country, and just as there are different languages spoken, there are also numerous varieties of hot pot. The ingredients vary by region, and the soup flavors can range from flowery fragrant to numbingly spicy. In Jiangsu province, for example, the broth often includes chrysanthemums. The... https://www.scmp.com/food/guide-all-chinese-hot-pot-styles/article/3014340?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/guide-all-chinese-hot-pot-styles/article/3014340?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Jun 2019 13:45:08 +0000 Flatbreads can be found all over the world, and in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu, there’s a grandma who’s been making them for the last 10 years. Her shop, Grandma Yan’s, always has lines out the door. Her secret? She stuffs the flatbread with spicy bean starch jelly noodles. The speciality is called liangfen guokui 凉粉锅盔. The dish has traditional roots in Nanchong, a city that’s about 140 miles east of Chengdu in Sichuan Province. (Read more: 5 essential street foods in... https://www.scmp.com/food/sichuan-grandmas-spicy-noodle-pie-all-rage/article/3009670?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/sichuan-grandmas-spicy-noodle-pie-all-rage/article/3009670?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 May 2019 05:13:38 +0000 Humans might still be debating the authenticity of certain Chinese dishes, but factories in China believe robots already have the answer. More than 10 manufacturers of mass-produced Chinese food products have been using taste-testing robots for over three years now to ensure the quality and authenticity of their products, according to a report submitted to the Chinese government last month. The foods tested include cured pork belly, black rice vinegar, fine dried noodles, Chinese yellow wine,... https://www.scmp.com/food/ai-robot-factory-taste-test-authentic-chinese-food/article/3009173?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/ai-robot-factory-taste-test-authentic-chinese-food/article/3009173?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 May 2019 07:37:09 +0000 In Sichuan, pork ribs are traditionally smoked with cypress boughs. But Sichuan Impression in Los Angeles is flavoring their spicy pork ribs with green tea as part of what they call “new Sichuan cuisine.” Their menu is an eclectic mix of regional Sichuan offerings and dishes unique to Los Angeles. https://www.scmp.com/food/sichuan-pork-ribs-made-tea-chefs-plate-ep-16/article/3001829?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/sichuan-pork-ribs-made-tea-chefs-plate-ep-16/article/3001829?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Mar 2019 11:00:10 +0000 Already a quick rising star in China, rapper Vava is now heating up internationally, thanks to "Crazy Rich Asians." The 22-year-old rapper is on the new movie's soundtrack, with her single "My New Swag." Vava, described as the Rihanna of China in local media, first rose to fame as a contestant on the first season of "The Rap of China." The reality show spread hip hop fever across the country, but authorities shut it down by banning hip hop-related content from television for several months last... https://www.scmp.com/culture/whos-girl-behind-crazy-rich-asians-explosive-single/article/2160893?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/whos-girl-behind-crazy-rich-asians-explosive-single/article/2160893?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Aug 2018 08:00:15 +0000 To soothe a craving for spicy Chinese food, a quick search on Yelp will present you with not only a list of restaurant picks, but also what seems to be a coin-toss between the spellings “Sichuan” and “Szechuan.” The Sichuan region’s bold cuisine is wildly gaining popularity all over the world, with many associating it with its numbing peppercorn, and hot pot soup with bright red chili oil bubbling in it. But somehow, storefronts and menus can’t seem to pick one way to spell it. To trace its... https://www.scmp.com/culture/so-it-spelled-szechuan-or-sichuan/article/2160683?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/so-it-spelled-szechuan-or-sichuan/article/2160683?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Aug 2018 10:15:00 +0000 We got an inside tour of Jian Nan Chun 剑南春, a baijiu factory in Sichuan, and found out how the world's most consumed liquor is made. Written by: Clarissa Wei Voiceover: Clarissa Wei & Dolly Li Featuring: Jian Nan Chun Produced by: Clarissa Wei & Dolly Li Shot by: Mario Chui & Nicholas Ko Edited by: Nicholas Ko Mastered by: Victor Peña https://www.scmp.com/videos/inside-very-large-baijiu-factory/article/2160462?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/videos/inside-very-large-baijiu-factory/article/2160462?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Aug 2018 06:00:45 +0000 Baijiu is the drink of choice in China—and in turn the world’s most consumed spirit. It is by a long shot, too, with more than twice the amount of baijiu drunk every year compared with vodka in distant second.   Baijiu is a complex, intense drink and one that often poses a challenge to new drinkers, scared off by its high alcohol percentage, funky flavors, and the warnings of others who have had unhappy initial encounters (often with poor-quality baijiu, or pressed to overdrink in some social... https://www.scmp.com/food/everything-youve-wanted-know-about-chinas-potent-liquor-baijiu/article/2160170?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/everything-youve-wanted-know-about-chinas-potent-liquor-baijiu/article/2160170?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Aug 2018 07:15:15 +0000 Depending on where you are in China, asking for the local noodle dish may get you a wildly different result each time. Ingredients, preparation style, and visual look vary from region to region, giving foodies something new to discover in each city. There’s nothing better than chowing down on this remarkably versatile dish, and learning how each region’s culture and tradition have shaped their favorite bowl. Here’s a primer on some of the most common noodle dishes you can find in China. Slurp’s... https://www.scmp.com/food/primer-noodle-dishes-you-need-eat-across-china/article/2159117?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/primer-noodle-dishes-you-need-eat-across-china/article/2159117?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Aug 2018 10:08:55 +0000 The term “fly restaurant” is unique to the southwest province of Sichuan, used to describe a class of eateries serving up gorgeous food for cheap prices, in a subpar atmosphere. “Some of its prerequisites are that [they’re] hard to find,” said Jenny Gao, a Sichuanese chef, who runs a supper club in the city. “There's no advertising. They have pretty much no atmosphere and questionable hygiene, but the most important part is that the flavor is delicious and that is what unites everybody. “It's... https://www.scmp.com/these-restaurants-define-chengdus-street-food-scene/article/2153341?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/these-restaurants-define-chengdus-street-food-scene/article/2153341?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Jul 2018 02:30:57 +0000 After one Rick & Morty episode, McDonald’s Szechuan Sauce, or “Mulan Sauce,” as described by the cartoon, went viral. The sauce had been discontinued and, at one point, was bid up to thousands of dollars on eBay. McDonald’s saw this reignited demand for the sauce and decided to bring it back, so we got our hands on their Szechuan Sauce and took it out to the real Sichuan to see if it would pass the authenticity test. We invited a few locals to try the sauce with us, to see how they'd... https://www.scmp.com/videos/people-sichuan-react-mcdonalds-szechuan-sauce/article/2152456?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/videos/people-sichuan-react-mcdonalds-szechuan-sauce/article/2152456?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Jun 2018 02:45:30 +0000 Chengdu, the capital of the Sichuan, tends to be known internationally for two things: pandas and spicy food. But the city is much more than tantalizing spice and adorable bears. There’s a robust nightlife scene and the options range from gritty reggae bars by the river, to sleek cocktail establishments touting uniquely Chinese ingredients. On the annex of the Temple House Hotel, Jing is a cozy watering hole and lounge for travelers to unwind with a unique boozy drink and some light... https://www.scmp.com/food/chengdus-hottest-cocktails-literally/article/2151777?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/food/chengdus-hottest-cocktails-literally/article/2151777?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Jun 2018 08:45:45 +0000 Hot pot is a culinary icon in Sichuan. Conceptually it’s a cauldron of broth where diners cook their ingredients tableside. But what makes it so addicting? We found out when we visited a family-owned hot pot factory in Chengdu—a city with nearly 10,000 hot pot establishments. Written by & Voiceover: Clarissa Wei Featuring: Anita Lai Produced by: Dolly Li, Clarissa Wei Shot by: Mario Chui, Nicholas Ko Edited by: Mario Chui Mastered by: Victor Peña https://www.scmp.com/videos/inside-spicy-hot-pot-factory/article/2151907?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/videos/inside-spicy-hot-pot-factory/article/2151907?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Jun 2018 17:15:30 +0000