Szechuan Impression
Sichuan Impression in Linz, Austria, is all about original cuisines from Chengdu, capital city of Sichuan province, where the owner and chefs were born and raised. Chengdu sits at the western edge of China’s Sichuan basin. The fertile Chengdu Plain, on which the city is located, is also known as the “Country of Heaven”, a phrase often translated as “The Land of Abundance”, for it has always been blessed with a wealth of natural resources and agricultural products.
Sichuan peppercorn, one of the most important elements of Sichuan Cuisine, come from a tree known as the prickly ash, and there are many different species of this tree. The peppercorn produced by these trees are classified by size and colour. In Sichuan cuisine the red and green peppercorns are primarily used; these are often referred to as Rattan peppers. They are not spicy or pungent but instead have a characteristic numbing taste with unique aroma.
Peppercorn is also used in traditional Chinese medicine, it is believed to aid in the regulation of blood pressure, to help increase appetite, and also reduce the stomach indigestion.
Chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorn was found to be an incredibly formidable duo of flavour and it is for this reason that this combination is present in many Sichuan dishes. Although this taste is one of the most popular, Sichuan cuisine is more than just one taste. It is dynamic and full of depth, and it is said that every type of dish has many different variations and for each of those variations there are a hundred different flavours.
Highlights of the dishes:
Appetizer:
Sliced beef and ox organs in chili sauce: cold dish made mainly from beef, marinated and sliced. Then with pepper and other auxiliary materials made red oil poured on it. The dish is exquisitely prepared, tender, fresh and spicy.
Mung Bean Jelly: Green Bean Jelly, Crushed Peanuts, Scallions with savoury and spicy sauce.
Main dish:
Mapo Tofu: Even if you're not keen on tofu, give this mapo tofu a go. It's a bit hot and really strongly flavoured thanks to chilli bean paste, fermented black beans and more.
Kung Pao chicken: Kung Pao chicken, also transcribed as Gong Bao or Kung Po, is a spicy, stir-fried Chinese dish made with chicken, peanuts, vegetables, and chili peppers.
Fish-fragrant eggplant or 鱼香茄子， is a signature dish in Sichuan cuisine. Don't get confused by the name, there is no fish in this dish, not even fishsauce. The vegetarian dish* is a combination of salty, sweet, sour, and spicy tastes together in a deliciously garlicky sauce.
