Sichuan Cuisine, known often in the West as Szechuan Cuisine, is one of the most famous Chinese cuisines in the world.

Characterised by its spicy and pungent flavour, Sichuan cuisine, prolific in taste, emphasises the use of chilli. Garlic, ginger and fermented soybean are also used in the cooking process. Typical courses: Hot Pot; Smoked Duck; Kung Pao Chicken; Twice-Cooked Pork; and MaPo Tofu Dong Po braised cuttlefish, among others.

Sichuan Cuisine is famous for its distinct and various flavours. There are the following basic tastes: spicy and hot, pungent, salty, sweet and sour. From these there have been derived 24 unique flavours, such as homely taste, fish flavours, and salty taste.

In Sichuan Cuisine, single flavours are rarely used: instead, compound flavours are most common. By blending different seasonings, skilled cooks can make dozens of different sauces each with its own flavours, including creamy, salty, sweet and sour, litchi, sour with chilli, hot with chilli, spicy and hot, mashed garlic, and distiller’s grain, fish sauce with chilli, ginger juice, and soy sauce.

The same sauce may be used differently in different dishes.

When flavouring foods, sometimes two or more flavourings are combined, and sometimes a hot fire is used to concentrate the extract from the dish and increase the intensity of the flavour, preserving the primary taste of the dish, and removing unpleasant flavours.

Famous dishes include Kung Pao Chicken (fried diced chicken with chilli sauce), Zhang Tea Duck, Ma Po Tofu, a chafing dish with pig’s stomach and cabbage in boiling water.

To sum up, Sichuan Cuisine is famous for its many flavours, and almost every dish has its own unique taste. For this reason, Sichuan Cuisine is liked not only by Sichuan people, but all over China and indeed the world.

Eating at the Ping’s Dining is an enjoyable experience.

The restaurant’s layout is not cluttered with tables and the experience is further boosted by the presence of Mrs Ping Lu, the owner who does her utmost to explain to diners what is distinct about Sichuan Cuisine.

The restaurant is locating at 36B St George’s Road, St Julian’s. For booking call on 2138-8319 or 7979-8898. Christmas and New Year menus are also available.