The Spicy Odyssey

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

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

Crayfish partying with dried chilies and Sichuan pepper

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

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

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

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

Everything on bamboo skewers takes a dip in bubbling chili oil

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

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

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

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

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

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

Flat rice noodles wok-fried with beef and bean sprouts—wok hei is the soul

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

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

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

Wheat-starch jelly sheets + sesame paste + chili oil

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

Minced beef and pork with diced potatoes, soy and molasses, served over rice — the comfort dish of Macau

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

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

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

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

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

Jingwu Road duck neck, spicy, numbing, and chewy

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

Charcoal-grilled lamb skewers with cumin and chili powder

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

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

Wheat-starch cold noodles + cucumber strips + sesame paste + chili oil

Belt-wide noodles doused in sizzling chili oil, one noodle per bowl

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

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

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

Wild-picked Helan Mountain mushrooms stir-fried simply with garlic and green onion

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