Traditional Boiled Duck Blood in Chilli Sauce

Ciqikou Ancient Town is located in Shapingba District, west of Chongqing. Ciqikou has been a key supply hub along the mid-to-lower reaches of the Fujiang River for years. In 1940, a butcher surnamed Sun, who lived in the Ciqikou Ancient Town, Shapingba, disposed of the leftover entrails of pigs from his meat sales at a low price every day. His wife, Zhang, felt sorry for this and set up a stall on the street to sell entrails soup. She first simmered braised pig head meat and pork bones on slow fire with ginger, pepper, and rice wine, and then added hyacinth bean and pig lung and cold chicken, making a tasty soup. Later, by chance, Zhang immediately put fresh pig blood curd in her entrails soup and found that the blood curd became more tender and tasted fresher the more it was boiled. This homemade dish is made by boiling fresh blood curd and eating it immediately, hence gaining the name “Boiled Duck Blood in Chilli Sauce (or Maoxuewang in Chinese)”. “Mao” means “rough and cursory” in Chongqing dialect.

Hot and Sour Noodles

Kung Pao Chicken

During the Qing Dynasty, Ding Baozhen, a court official, incurred the wrath of An Dehai, a powerful eunuch in the service of Empress Dowager Cixi. As a consequence, he was exiled to Sichuan and appointed as a provincial governor, or "Kung Pao."
Known for his integrity and uprightness, Ding Baozhen developed a profound interest in culinary arts during his time in the capital. Upon his arrival in Sichuan, local officials hosted a grand banquet in his honor. At the feast, Ding shared a distinctive cooking technique with the head chef, which combined the sweet and sour flavors of traditional Chinese cuisine with the signature numbing and spicy notes of Sichuan cooking. The resulting dish—spicy, sweet, and tangy diced chicken—was met with rave reviews from all the guests, who named it "Kung Pao Chicken" in honor of Ding's official title.

Braised Pork with Huadiao Wine in Brown Sauce

Braised pork is also famously known as Dongpo Pork. Legend has it that when Su Shi, affectionately referred to as Dongpo, served as an official in Hangzhou, he spearheaded the construction of a causeway along the West Lake. This monumental project significantly benefited the local populace.
That Spring Festival, in a gesture of profound gratitude, people of all ages and genders flocked to Su Dongpo's residence, bearing gifts of pork and liquor. Touched by their sincere appreciation, he graciously accepted the offerings. Subsequently, he had the pork cut into sizable cubes, slow-cooked to a melt-in-the-mouth tenderness with a rich, glossy brown finish. Following the worker registry, he distributed the succulent braised pork to the laborers' families. Moved by Su Dongpo's thoughtfulness and his remembrance of their efforts, the locals held him in even higher esteem. They named the dish "Dongpo Pork," imbuing it with profound cultural and historical significance that endures to this day.

Chen Mapo Tofu

In the late years of the Xianfeng reign during the Qing Dynasty, Chen Chunfu ran a small eatery, with his wife, surnamed Chen, handling the cooking. Due to the pockmarks on her face, neighbors affectionately nicknamed her Chen Mapo. The tofu dishes prepared by Chen Mapo boasted a distinctive flavor. Over time, these dishes became renowned as "Mapo Tofu" among patrons.

Kung Pao Shrimps

Geleshan Spicy Chicken

Chongqing's Geleshan is where Sister Jiang, whose real name was Jiang Zhuyun, a revolutionary martyr, was born. People now often visit Geleshan and commemorate Sister Jiang. Local people use slow fire to fry the meat of naturally raised spring chickens with red chillies and Huanyuan pepper until the meat becomes tender and crisp, thus making a delicious dish. After visiting the site in memory of Sister Jiang, visitors from cities often go to eat spicy chicken and show interest in learning how to cook these widely praised chicken nuggets. Over time, people have started calling this dish "Geleshan Spicy Chicken."

Dan Dan Noodles

Before the liberation of Chengdu, people often carried goods, in a wide variety, on poles to sell them along streets. In those days, people worked from dawn till dusk, yet they still lived in poverty, often struggling to make it from breakfast to lunch.
As a result, many people would often stop at the peddlers selling noodles and have a bowl of noodles, which is called "Dajian" (referring to stopping for a quick meal when traveling). People often gathered in small groups to have "Dan Dan Noodles."

Pork with Garlic Sauce

Legend has it that in Sichuan, there was a merchant family whose members were all extremely fond of fish. Whenever they prepared fish dishes, they would add scallions, ginger, garlic, liquor, vinegar, soy sauce, and other seasonings to eliminate the fishy smell and enhance the flavor.
One evening, to avoid food waste, the mistress added all the remaining seasonings from a previous fish dish to the meal she was cooking. When her husband returned home and tasted the dish, he was struck by its unique flavor and inquired about it. Since the dish had the aroma of fish but contained no actual fish meat, the wife had an inspiration. She claimed it was her new creation and named it "Fish-flavored Shredded Pork".

Sliced Beef and Ox Tongue in Chilli Sauce (Fu Qi Fei Pian)

In the 1940s, a husband-and-wife duo earned their livelihood by peddling cooked beef offal on the streets. Pushing a cart and calling out “cold beef slices,” they quickly gained popularity thanks to the dish’s rich seasonings and mouthwatering taste. Neighbors and customers alike raved about it, saying, “As the cart travels down the street, its savory aroma fills the entire neighborhood.”
The original Sliced Beef and Ox Tongue in Chilli Sauce was made from beef, ox tongue, ox heart, ox head skin, and tripe, excluding ox lung. The ingredients were sliced paper-thin and then stewed together, giving rise to the name “stewed slices.” Legend has it that a helpful but somewhat absent-minded student crafted a cardboard sign for the couple and hung it in front of their cart. However, he mistakenly wrote “Fei” (lung) instead of “Hui” (stewed), and the name “Fu Qi Fei Pian” gradually caught on.
This dish is renowned for its carefully selected ingredients, meticulously blended seasonings, uniformly sliced meats, and perfectly harmonized flavors. The meat preparation adheres to strict standards: the beef is tender yet firm, the ox tongue and heart are succulent, the tripe is delightfully crispy, and the head skin is thinly sliced. Seasoned with top-quality brine, fragrant chilli oil, fresh coriander, celery, and scallions, it offers a burst of freshness and flavor, best enjoyed immediately after being freshly mixed.

Sliced Boiled Pork with Mashed Garlic

During the 1950s and 1960s, there were no state-owned restaurants, and people mainly dined at collective canteens. At that time, in a bamboo-structured restaurant in Chengdu, there was a blind chef whose daily task was to slice boiled pork (pork picanha cooked in plain water). Despite his visual impairment, he could cut the pork slices large, thin, and with consistent size and thickness. His remarkable skill quickly spread far and wide, earning him a well-deserved reputation.

Boiled Fish with Fresh Green Pepper

Bean Curd with Minced Beef

Teppanyaki Perch with Tinfoil

Minced Spring Chicken Soup

Fish-flavored Canadian Scallops

Yanbang Bullfrogs

Sichuan Pickles with Meat

Double-flavored Steamed Topmouth Culter

Fried Eel Slices with Green Pepper

MALUJI

Mama's Pork Elbow Soup

Flamed Diced Pork in Pot

Strange-Flavor Diced Beef

Sichuan-flavored Pan-Fried Lamb Chop with Cumin

Southern Sichuan Boiled Grain-Fed Wagyu Beef