The culinary tradition
Chinese cooking is organised into regional schools. Sichuan is known for ma la — numbing and hot — from peppercorn and doubanjiang; Cantonese for steaming and wok work; Shandong for braises; Jiangsu for delicate sweetness. The wok, cleaver and steam are shared tools, not shared flavours.
Regional kitchens
Sichuan
Numbing heat and fermented chilli paste.
Guangdong
Dim sum and steamed seafood.
