Szechuan vs. Hunan: A Spicy Showdown (2024)

FAQs

Which is more spicy, Hunan or Szechuan? ›

The Spice Narrative:

While Szechuan cuisine is known for its numbing spiciness, Hunan dishes are celebrated for their pure, unbridled heat.

Whereas Sichuan dazzles with its magical 'ma la' one-two punch (mouth-numbing and spicy), Hunan turns everything up to 11. Salt, spice, sour, oil, smoke.

Hunan tends to be purely hot due to the large amounts of ground chilis and garlic. Szechuan tends to be different types of hot such as “hot and sweet” or “hot and sour.” The hotness also has a distinguishing tingly sensation due to the Szechuan peppercorn used.

Generally speaking Szechuan chicken is usually spicier than General Tso's chicken.

A: While both types of cuisine are known for their spice, the chilis used in Hunan dishes are generally spicier than the Sichuan peppercorns used in Szechuan cooking.

With its liberal use of chili peppers, shallots and garlic, Hunan cuisine is known for being gan la (干辣; gān là; 'dry and spicy') or purely hot, as opposed to Sichuan cuisine, to which it is often compared. Sichuan cuisine uses its distinctive ma la (麻辣; má là; 'spicy and numbing') seasoning and other complex flavour ...

Its representative dishes include Steamed Fish Head with Chopped Chili, Fried Pork with Chili, Tasty Crayfish, Changsha Stinky Tofu, Hunan Rice Noodles, Dong'an Chicken, and Spicy Salted Duck, etc.

Sichuan chile peppers are spicy peppers, averaging 50,000-75,000 SHU on the Scoville scale, and can sometimes feel hotter if they are used whole in culinary dishes with their seeds and membranes intact.

Most Sichuan dishes are spicy, although a typical meal includes non-spicy dishes to cool the palate. Sichuan cuisine is composed of seven basic flavours: sweet, sour, numbing-spicy (like in Sichuan pepper), spicy, bitter, fragrant/aromatic, and salty.

General Tso's Chicken is battered and deep fried whereas Hunan Chicken is lightly dusted in cornstarch and stir fried or lightly pan fried. General Tso's Chicken is sweet and mildly spicy, far less spicy than Hunan Chicken, with the zing coming from a generous amount of ginger verses chili peppers.

Which is healthier, Hunan or Szechuan? ›

Hunan chicken is a healthier option, as the chicken is stir-fried while Szechuan chicken has more calories due to the deep-frying process.

Both dishes are classic Sichuan dishes however Szechuan chicken is very spicy while Kung Pao chicken has a mild spicy taste. Szechuan chicken is also deep fried first then stir fried with dry chili and other aromatics. Kung pao chicken is more tender and has a sweet and sour flavor for the sauce.

If you stir fry the recipe with these chilies but do NOT cut any of the peppers open and don't eat any of the chiles, your stir fry will be flavorful but mild in heat.

The smell of the peppercorn is intoxicating, lemony and perfumed, and the taste, electric. While it leaves your mouth buzzing, it isn't pungently spicy like black or white pepper and carries a hint of acid sweetness.

With its liberal use of chili peppers, shallots and garlic, Hunan cuisine is known for being gan la (干辣; gān là; 'dry and spicy') or purely hot, as opposed to Sichuan cuisine, to which it is often compared. Sichuan cuisine uses its distinctive ma la (麻辣; má là; 'spicy and numbing') seasoning and other complex flavour ...

Cantonese cuisine tends to be mild. It focuses less on spices, but more on absolute freshness and natural flavor of ingredients. Most of its dishes use sweet sauces. Cantonese is the most widely served style of Chinese cuisine in the world.