5 Spicy Chinese Dishes You Have to Try (If You Love Heat!)
Are you someone who loves a bit of heat in your meals? If so, Chinese cuisine offers an incredible variety of spicy dishes that may tickle your tongue to breathing fire (in the best possible way). With bold, numbing spices from Sichuan peppercorns to the deep, rich oils of classic street food, the final flavour is always deeply satisfying. In this blog, we’ll explore five must-try dishes that pack both flavour and heat – perfect for anyone who loves a spicy kick.
A Brief History of Hot Peppers and Sichuan Cuisine
Sichuan cuisine is famous for its tongue-tingling spice, largely thanks to its liberal use of hot chillies and Sichuan peppercorns. This regional cuisine remains one of the most popular in China today.
The Sichuan region, centred in the fertile Chengdu plains of south-western China, it was known for its richness in food production since ancient times. Archaeological finds have shown native people cooked with a wide variety of ingredients as early as the first century CE.
Historical texts from the fourth century describe how native Sichuanese favoured strong flavours and the piquancy and fragrance. The mention of piquancy has been cited frequently by Sichuanese to prove their long tradition of favouring their spicy food. Though the taste of strong flavour and piquancy was not unique to this region alone.
Around the 15th century, Christopher Columbus made a voyage carrying red peppers, maize, and other food plants from the New World to the Old. After this Columbian contact, both overland and sea routes made it possible for hot peppers to reach China. It is speculated that the foreign plant first arrived in western China via overland routes during the 16th century.
Hot peppers did not immediately influence Chinese cuisine upon their arrival. During the 16th century, they were used infrequently in dishes. There is little evidence of their use following their introduction until the 17th to 19th centuries, when the cultivation and consumption of hot peppers gradually began to increase.
Ready to Turn Up the Heat? Here Are Five Iconic Spicy Chinese Dishes You Must Try:
Mapo Tofu
Mapo Tofu is a classic dish with a taste of its numbing spice but being tender and soft from the tofu. This dish consists a tofu cubes in spicy sauce that is usually thing, oily and a red colour. The dish combines with pork or mince to the aromatic sauce that clings the flavour to each tofu cube. Variations of this dish exist with other ingredients being added or replacing another from water chestnuts, onions, other vegetables or wood ear fungus.
Mapo tofu was originally nicknamed “Chen Mapo” for Mrs Chen, a owner of a restaurant in Chengdu. “Chen Mapo” was as simple as chilli, pork, tofu and sichuan pepper. In the 1920s, they had hired a ched named Xue Xiangshun who transformed the Chen Mapo to use beef instead of pork and adding douchi.
How it is made
Sichuan peppercorns are heated in oil and toasted until fragrant, then it is removed or left in (depending how spicy you want) the wok/pan and saute minced garlics, gingers and scallions. The doubanjiang is added and fried in the oil releasing a deep red colour and aroma. Choice of minced beef or pork is added into the stir fry until cooked and coated in the sauce. Chicken stock (or water) is poured and brought to a simmer where the tofu is then added and is folded around to cook it and carefully not break it.
The dish is usually served steaming hot in a shallow bowl with a side of plain rice. Made in houses and restaurants alike, it is a easy comfort food as having a bold flavour makes it a good meal.
Ingredients
Ground pork or beef
Doubanjiang (fermented chili bean paste)
Garlic
Ginger
Scallions
Chicken stock or water
Cornstarch slurry
Chongqing Chicken (Laziji)
Chongqing chicken (also known as Laziji/La Zi Ji) is known for being a dry chilli chicken or firecracker chicken. This dish is often bite-sized pieces of chicken that is deep-fried for the crispy texture and then stir-fried to mix in its flavours iwth dried red chillies and sichuan peppers. The dried chillies create extra texture and aroma. These chicken pieces are still juicy inside while still having a light crisp texture on the outside and a infused aromatic flavour from the other ingredients for a intense, vibrant and satisfying dish. Originating near Geleshan in Chongqing, this is where restaurants used small free-range chickens, so poultry became a signature export for Geleshan.
How it is made
The chicken is chopped and marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, shaoxing wine, sugar and cornstarch. It tenderizes the meat and allows for a crispy texture after frying. When ready, the chicken is deep-fried in oil until crispy and dried throughly to fry well.
Garlic, ginger and sichuan pepper is fried in a wok before dried chillis are added. Stir in chicken peices that were deep-fried earlier and add soy sauce, sugar and rice wine. After it is cooked, sesame seeds and spring onion are sprinkled before serving.
Ingredients
Chicken thighs or wings (bone-in preferred)
Dried red chilies (lots!)
Garlic
Ginger
Scallions
Cornstarch
Salt & sugar
Oil for deep frying
Dan Dan Noodles
Dan Dan Noodles is a Chinese Noodle dish coming from Sichuan cuisine. Using a spicy sauce cintaining pickled vegetables, chilli oil, sichuan pepper, minced pork and scallions served with noodles. Originating in Chengdu, the dish was originally served with no soup covered in mala meat sauce and pickled vegetables with peanuts and spring onions garnished on top. The variant with soup comes from Hong Kong and is more common around China but being less common in Sichuan itself.
How it is made
The spicy meat topping has garlic, ginger and scallions sauteed in a bit of oil. The ground meat of choice is added and cooked until browned, then the doubanjiang, soy sauce and sugar are stirred in. Chopped up preserved mustard greens are tossed in for a earthy, salty bite then all is simmered until fragrant and slightly crispy.
Meanwhile, the sauce mixture of sesame paste, soy sauce, black vinegar, chilli oil and a pinch of sugar. Noodles are cooked as normal by boiling until tender and is strained then placed in the bowl with the sauce. Top it all up with a generous spoon of the spicy meat topping and a garnish of chopped scallions and toasted sichuan peppercorns or chili flakes.
Ingredients
Ground pork or beef
Doubanjiang (chili bean paste)
Garlic & ginger
Sesame paste or peanut butter
Preserved mustard greens (yá cài)
Sugar
Scallions
Spicy Cumin Lamb
Spicy Cumin lamb has a very aromatic and bold spice mix commonly known in China’s northwest region in Xinjiang. It is widely familiar as a street food and some restaurant places becoming a staple in dry-fry dishes. The lamb is often stir-fried in toasted cumin seeds, chilli flakes, onions and green peppers, so this results in a fragrant, spicy, earthy and satisfying taste.
This type of dish is somewhat dry, with the spice clinging to the meat and vegetables. Eventhough cumin is not a staple in most of China, places like the Xinjiang region often use it for the Middle Eastern profile.
How it is made
The lamb is sliced in thin picies to be marinated in a mixture od soy sauce, shaoxing wine, a bt of sugar and cornstarch. This tenderizes the meat and a light coating that will make it a bit crispy during the frying. garlic, ginger and chilli flakes are stir-fried a bit before adding the lamb slices where it is cooked until brown and crisp on the edge. The onions and bell peppers are added until a bit crisp and add ground cumin to the mix. Finishing the cooking with some soy sauce and shaoxing wine for depth or taste if needed.
Ingredients
Lamb (shoulder or leg), thinly sliced
Garlic
Ginger
Onions
Bell peppers
Sugar
Kung Pao Chicken
Kung Pao Chicken is a spicy, stir-fried dish using cubes of cooked chicken, peanuts, vegetables, chilli peppers and sichuan peppers. The dish is said to come from a person named Ding Baozhen, during the later Qing Dynesty as a official and governor of the Sichuan Province. The name of the dish is derived from their title Gongbao, becoming a play on words on the name Ding, commo Chinese surname that can be read to mean small cube (like chicken cubes in a dish).
How it is made
Dice up the chicken into bite sized cubes, breast for lean and thigh for juiciness. Marinate this in a mixture of light soy sauce, shaoxing wine, a bit of sugar and cornstarch. While it marinates chop up some vegetables from bell pepper, celery, scallions and garlic. For the sauce mix soy sauce (light and dark), Chinese black vinegar, sugar and water or stock. When everything is cookedadd the sauce and toss and flip as it coats everything, add roasted peanuts for a crunchy nutty add on.
Ingredients
Chicken breast or thigh, diced
Dried red chilies
Garlic
Ginger
Scallions
Roasted peanuts
Sugar
Cornstarch
Oil (peanut oil preferred)
Conclusion
Spice up your meals and bring the heat with one of these satisfying, flavour-packed Chinese dishes. Not only do they taste incredible, but learning about their history adds an extra layer of appreciation for the culture behind them.
Whether you’re cooking for yourself, friends, or family, we hope you’ll try one of these fiery favourites. And if you’re missing a few ingredients, check out our shop—who knows what new dish you might discover next?
