Sichuan style SICHUAN INGREDIENTS

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1 Sichuan style Chef and cookery school tutor Rachel Demuth says authentic Sichuan cooking is a feast for the senses, offering wonderfully aromatic and delicious dishes abundant with chilli and spices. Sichuan cooking is so unlike the gloopy MSG-laden Chinese takeaways that we are used to. Sichuan cooking is all about a combination of flavours and sensations: heat from chillies, numbing from Sichuan peppers, plus salty, sour, sweet, bitter and smoky elements. One dish can contain all these disparate flavours. Each dish has its own style, and as they say in Sichuan, a hundred dishes have a hundred different flavours. Sichuan in southwest China is as large as France, with a population twice as big as Britain. It has a green fertile basin, producing rice, soya beans and a multitude of vegetables. It is surrounded by mountains and crossed by the Yangtze River and is known as the land of plenty. Chengdu is the home of the panda and the food capital of Sichuan. It was said to have been one of the most beautiful cities in China, full of old wooden houses with the second floors overhanging the pavements. I was lucky enough to have visited Chengdu in 1999 before it turned into a huge city of skyscrapers. We ate in small doufu cafés packed with families raucously enjoying a night out. Here they serve only tofu dishes, ladled from steaming cauldrons of broth or stir-fried in huge smoke-blackened woks and washed down with fragrant green tea. Chengdu is hot and humid in the summer and cold and damp in the winter. In traditional Chinese medicine, dampness is viewed as unhealthy, causing sluggishness. To combat this unhealthy climate they eat warming foods such as chillies, ginger and Sichuan peppers that drive out moisture and restore a healthy equilibrium. In Sichuan cooking, the five tastes are combined in different ways and the two we have used in our recipes are ma la wei and yu xiang wei. The first, ma la wei, combining Sichuan peppers (ma) with dried chillies (la), is the most famous flavour combination which produces a numbing tingling mouth sensation! Native to the area, Sichuan peppers are not part of the pepper family, but a berry from the prickly ash tree. They are red and fat and are used dried for a deeper, richer potency. They have a citrus flavour and are often fried whole to infuse the oil before starting to cook. Fish fragrant yu xiang wei despite the name there is no fish in it is based on chillies, Chinkiang vinegar, sugar and soy sauce, and fish fragrant aubergine is a very popular vegetable dish in Chengdu. There are delicious Sichuan vegetable side dishes that are vegetarian, but the main dishes tend to be meat- or fish-based. Luckily, they are easy to adapt to be meatfree. Vegetarians are rare in China, but at home people tend to eat a vegetabledominated diet with lots of pulses and grains. The Buddhist monasteries are strictly vegetarian and cook dishes that imitate meat and fish in their appearance, taste and texture. They are made from wheat gluten, mushrooms, tofu and yam. SICHUAN INGREDIENTS SICHUAN PEPPER is a Chinese spice made from the berries of a native ash tree. It has a spicy, mouth-numbing taste and adds a kick to curries in a similar way as chillies. It is the most important ingredient in five-spice mix. CHINESE DRIED MUSHROOMS are similar to shiitake and have a robust smoky taste. You only need a few to impart a distinctive flavour. FERMENTED BLACK BEANS are small black soya beans that have been preserved in salt and are very pungent, so use sparingly. SHAOXING CHINESE RICE WINE is made from glutinous sticky rice and has an amber colour and nutty flavour. CHINKIANG VINEGAR is made from glutinous black rice and has a dark colour and robust flavour. CHILLI BEAN PASTE tends to contain MSG and a long list of additives, so we make our own (see recipe, on page 27). The largest vegetarian group in China is Buddhist; some are only strict vegetarians twice a month on the first and 15th of each lunar month. When I was in China this meant that every city had a vegetarian restaurant to cater for these vegetarian days. Now as the Chinese are becoming more health conscious, even more vegetarian restaurants are springing up in the big cities _VL88[RD_Sichuan]NTSJLH.indd 22 20/09/ :11

2 Chef slarder ABOUT RACHEL Chef-proprietor of the awardwinning Demuths restaurant in Bath for 25 years, Rachel is now dedicated to running the Demuths Vegetarian Cookery School, which offers a range of themed workshops, guest chef events, cookery holidays in France and Italy, and the Demuths Vegetarian and Vegan Diplomas for professional chefs and keen cooks. As a well-travelled foodie, Rachel loves to combine her passion for global cuisine with the best of locally grown produce. Hotpot-style noodle bowl This is a warming noodle dish in a spicy vegetable broth. The Chinese way to eat noodle soup is to hold your chopsticks in one hand and your soup spoon in the other, use your chopsticks to place your noodles in your soup spoon, then eat out of the spoon, with the bowl close to your face. Noisy slurping is considered a sign of enjoyment and appreciation of the food and also cools the steaming hot broth! Serves 4 Prep 20 mins Cook 15 mins sunflower or groundnut oil, for frying 100g shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced 3 spring onions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated 2 tbsp chilli bean paste (see recipe, on page 27) 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 2cm piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped 1 litre hot vegetable stock (see recipe, on page 27) or 2 tbsp red or brown miso dissolved in 1 litre hot water 2 tsp Chinkiang black rice vinegar 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine chilli oil or toasted sesame oil (optional) 200g dried thin noodles (you could use any type you prefer) 100g edamame beans (green soybeans) 60g bean sprouts 50g unsalted peanuts, roasted for 5 7 minutes in a hot oven until golden, then chopped roughly handful of coriander leaves ½ tsp toasted ground Sichuan pepper 1 Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok or large saucepan over a high heat, and quickly fry the mushrooms with the white part of the spring onions. Remove from the pan and set aside on a plate. 2 Heat another tablespoon of oil in the wok set over a medium heat, then add the chilli bean paste and stir-fry for a minute until the oil turns red. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for 1 minute, taking care not to let the garlic burn. 3 Pour the stock into the wok and bring to a simmer. Add the vinegar, Shaoxing wine and chilli oil or toasted sesame oil, if you like, then taste to adjust the seasoning. Depending on the stock you have used, you may need to add a pinch of salt. 4 Turn the heat to low, while in a separate pan you cook your noodles according to the packet instructions. 5 Add the edamame beans and bean sprouts to the simmering broth to heat through. Divide the cooked noodles between four deep serving bowls, or in one large serving bowl. Ladle over the broth and vegetables, then top with the fried mushrooms and spring onions. 6 Sprinkle over the peanuts, sliced green HOTPOT-STYLE NOODLE BOWL spring onion and coriander, and finish with an extra drizzle of chilli or sesame oil and the ground Sichuan pepper. COOK S TIP You can vary the vegetables for the broth. Green leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale or pak choi can be added at the same time as the edamame beans and allowed to just wilt. Baby sweetcorn, mangetout, sugar snaps or regular frozen peas would also work well. Shredded crunchy vegetables such as carrots, radishes and even lettuce can also be added towards the end of cooking. n PER SERVING 394 cals, fat 16g, sat fat 2g, carbs 47g, sugars 6g, protein 14g, salt 0.25g, fibre 4g LEARN AUTHENTIC CHINESE COOKING Lydia Downey teaches the Chinese cooking classes at Demuths Cookery School. Her mother is Chinese and she was brought up eating home-cooked Chinese food and learning how to cook it. Her next class will be to celebrate Chinese New Year on 16 February ALL IMAGES ROB WICKS/EAT PICTURES UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE. FOOD STYLING BY LYDIA DOWNEY _VL88[RD_Sichuan]NTSJLH.indd 23 20/09/ :11

3 Chef slarder Fragrant spicy aubergine This is our version of a Sichuan classic dish, known as fish fragrant aubergine, although, despite what the title suggests, it merely means that the flavours in the sauce are like those used for traditional Sichuanese fish cooking. We love how the soft melting aubergines are bathed in this rich, spicy and slightly sweet sauce. Serves 4 Prep 15 mins Cook 25 mins sunflower oil, for frying 1 medium aubergine, sliced into about 4cm x 2cm lengths 1 2 tbsp chilli bean paste (see recipe, on page 27) 2 spring onions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 2cm piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped For the sauce: 1 tbsp light soy sauce 1 tsp Chinkiang vinegar 1 tbsp caster sugar 1½ tsp cornflour or potato starch 90ml (6 tbsp) cold water To garnish: green part of the sliced spring onion 1 small red chilli, finely sliced fresh coriander leaves 1 Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan or wok until hot. Fry the aubergines in two or three batches until golden on both sides. Drain on paper towel and set aside. 2 Mix the sauce ingredients in a small bowl, ensuring the cornflour is completely dissolved. 3 Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in the frying pan on a medium heat and add the chilli bean paste, stirring until the oil turns red and separates from the paste. Add the white part of the sliced spring onions, the garlic and ginger, and stir-fry for a minute or two, taking care not to allow the garlic to burn. 4 Add the sauce mixture and lower the heat a little to let it all simmer for a few minutes to thicken. Return the aubergine pieces to the pan and gently cook in the sauce for 2 minutes until soft. 5 Spoon out onto a large serving dish and sprinkle with the reserved green sliced spring onions, chilli slices and coriander leaves. Serve with plain steamed jasmine rice. n PER SERVING 154 cals, fat 12g, sat fat 2g, carbs 9g, sugars 7g, protein 1g, salt 0.64g, fibre 2g _VL88[RD_Sichuan]NTSJLH.indd 24 20/09/ :12

4 FRAGRANT SPICY AUBERGINE 022-7_VL88[RD_Sichuan]NTSJLH.indd 25 20/09/ :12

5 MAPO DOUFU _VL88[RD_Sichuan]NTSJLH.indd 26 20/09/ :12

6 Chef slarder CHILLI BEAN PASTE Most chilli bean pastes on the market contain a long list of ingredients, often including MSG. At the cookery school we make a substitute chilli paste which although not totally authentic, gives a similar flavour. 1 clove garlic, pounded to a paste with a large pinch of salt 1 tsp gochujang (Korean chilli paste: make sure it also contains no additives!) 1 tsp brown miso paste 1 tsp sugar ½ tsp fermented black beans, finely chopped 1 tsp toasted sesame oil 1 tbsp cold water Mix everything together by hand or in a pestle and mortar. Use straight away, or make extra and keep for up to 3 days in the fridge or freeze until needed. Mapo doufu This spicy Sichuan dish reputedly gets its name from the small-pox-scarred woman who originally made this dish in the late 19th century. Doufu is the Chinese name for tofu, and mapo translates as pock-marked old woman! Serves 2 Prep 15 mins Cook 15 mins ¼ tsp salt 200g plain tofu, cut into cubes ½ tsp Sichuan peppercorns sunflower or groundnut oil, for frying 1 tbsp chilli bean paste (see recipe, above) 2cm piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 tbsp fermented black beans pinch of chilli flakes (optional: you could use Korean gochugaru which are milder) 100ml vegetable stock (see recipe, right) or water pinch of ground white pepper 1 tbsp cornflour or potato flour mixed with 2 tbsp cold water 2 spring onions, sliced diagonally 1 tbsp chilli oil (optional) 1 Bring a medium saucepan of water to the boil. Add the salt, reduce the heat to low and add the tofu cubes. Allow them to very gently simmer for a few minutes, but don t let the water get too hot or the tofu will toughen. You can skip this step, but this poaching process makes the tofu lovely and tender and enables it to absorb the sauce better. 2 Heat a wok and quickly toast the Sichuan peppercorns until fragrant. Remove to a pestle and mortar and roughly crush. Set aside. 3 Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in the wok over a high heat. Add the chilli bean paste and stir into the oil until it turns red. Add the ginger, garlic, fermented black beans and chilli flakes, if desired. Stir-fry for a couple of minutes or until it smells aromatic. Take care with the heat, as you don t want to burn the chilli sauce. 4 Using a slotted spoon, lift the tofu cubes from the hot water, and add to the wok. Stir gently into the chilli sauce, being careful not to break up the tofu. Pour in the stock or water, add a large pinch of white pepper, and bring to a simmer. Slowly pour in a little of the cornflour/water mixture, stirring continuously and adding more until the sauce thickens to your desired consistency. 5 Stir in the spring onions and toasted Sichuan peppercorns and drizzle with chilli oil, if you like it super-hot. Serve at once with steamed rice. n PER SERVING 343 cals, fat 26g, sat fat 3g, carbs 13g, sugars 4g, protein 14g, salt 0.29g, fibre 3g CHINESE VEGETABLE STOCK Makes about 2 litres 2.5 litres cold water 2 onions, peeled and cut in quarters 2 celery sticks, roughly chopped 2 carrots, roughly chopped 1 leek, roughly chopped 4 cloves garlic, peeled but left whole 5cm piece of fresh ginger, unpeeled and sliced 2 bay leaves 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns 5 dried Chinese or shiitake mushrooms Put all the ingredients except the dried mushrooms into a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 1 hour. Add the dried mushrooms and gently simmer for a further 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Strain and pick out the mushrooms (to slice and use in cooking), but discard the remaining vegetables. Keep the stock in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze in a plastic container once cool _VL88[RD_Sichuan]NTSJLH.indd 27 20/09/ :12