Chili & Pepper

Changsha · Fish head steamed under a blanket of vibrant red chopped chili, the face of Hunan cuisine

Changsha · Black outer skin fried to a crisp, then filled with garlic and chili sauce

Changsha · Crayfish partying with dried chilies and Sichuan pepper

Changsha · The most humble yet most essential dish on every Hunan dinner table—pork stir-fried with peppers

Chengdu · Beef tallow red broth, tripe, aorta, and goose intestine all in one pot

Chengdu · Minced pork with pickled mustard greens and crushed peanuts, mala perfection

Chengdu · Sichuan peppercorn, chili, and doubanjiang—the soulful way to cook tender tofu

Chengdu · Everything on bamboo skewers takes a dip in bubbling chili oil

Chongqing · Beef tallow and tripe hot pot, mala aroma in a nine-grid cauldron

Chongqing · Alkaline noodles with chili, Sichuan pepper, scallions, and crushed peanuts

Chongqing · Handmade sweet potato noodles + vinegar + chili, sour and fiery

Chongqing · Duck blood, tripe, and luncheon meat in a pot of mala

Dalian · Whole squid grilled over charcoal and brushed with spicy sauce—a street stall favorite

Dalian · Dalian-style chilled wheat noodles with shredded cucumber, sesame paste, and chili oil

Guilin · Li River fish braised with beer, tomatoes, and green peppers

Guiyang · Guizhou red sour soup with whole river fish, tomato and wild pepper fermented to tangy perfection

Guiyang · Pig intestine and blood curd rice noodles in spicy chili oil—bold, funky, and beloved

Guiyang · Thin rice crepe wraps stuffed with shredded veggies and peanuts, dipped in sour-spicy sauce

Lanzhou · Clear broth, white radish, red chili, green cilantro, yellow noodles—from extra-thin to thick

Lanzhou · Wheat-starch jelly sheets + sesame paste + chili oil

Lhasa · Hand-pleated Tibetan dumplings filled with yak meat and onion, served with spicy chili chutney

Nanchang · Thick rice noodles in a spicy-savory broth — the breakfast that wakes up Jiangxi

Nanchang · Fresh fish head from China's largest freshwater lake, braised with chili and tofu

Nanning · Old friend rice noodles with garlic, fermented black beans, pickled bamboo shoots—sour-spicy Nanning soul food

Qingdao · Fresh clams wok-fried with dried chili and garlic, best paired with an ice-cold Tsingtao

Qingdao · Whole sea bream pan-fried to crisp-golden skin with just salt and pepper

Tianjin · Mung bean jelly sheets cut into strips, served with savory gravy and chili oil

Wuhan · Jingwu Road duck neck, spicy, numbing, and chewy

Urumqi · Chicken, potatoes, peppers, and wide noodles in one giant plate

Urumqi · Charcoal-grilled lamb skewers with cumin and chili powder

Xiamen · Fresh oysters + sweet potato starch + egg + sweet chili sauce

Xi'an · Hand-torn flatbread soaked in lamb soup, served with sweet garlic and chili paste

Xi'an · Wheat-starch cold noodles + cucumber strips + sesame paste + chili oil

Xi'an · Belt-wide noodles doused in sizzling chili oil, one noodle per bowl

Xining · Wheat-starch cold noodles with chili oil, vinegar, and cucumber shreds — a Xibei street essential

Xining · Rich, peppery broth simmered with lamb tripe, liver, and heart — a high-altitude warmer

Xining · Thick hand-pulled noodles tossed with lamb, peppers, and onions over blistering heat

Yinchuan · Thin-sliced lamb flash-fried with cumin, onion, and green peppers

Zhengzhou · Peppery beef bone broth with tofu skin, gluten, and wood ear mushrooms—Zhengzhou's morning essential