Elm bark noodles 榆皮面

The noodles didn’t taste like much, and felt somehow inorganic. Nor was their brief stay in my gut a particularly pleasant one.

Yak four ways!

so much yak, so very much yak

Sesame oil noodles 香油葱油面

Can you really use sesame oil for frying? Let’s find out!

辣子鸡 Chicken among the red lanterns

Includes: one recipe and one uncle joke

something new in Chengdu!

the best sort of good fortune is the kind you fall in to back assward

鱼香肉丝 “fish-flavored, but not fish”

Yuxiang 鱼香 literally means “fish taste,” which is a mystery because this style of cooking has neither fish, nor fish taste, nor any other fishy credentials

Egg foo young 芙蓉蛋 — no, seriously

In my memory, this dish is a greasy mess of overcooked eggs, watery bean sprouts, and sauce that can only be described as “brown”

Blood sacrifice–a happy story

Before I begin, let me assure everyone that the story does end well

Sichuan cooking school: school life

Cooking is hard and distinctly unglamorous work

Sichuan red oil 红油

Red oil – hongyou 红油 – is the heart of Sichuan cuisine