Chengdu, the capital province of Sichuan, is famous for it’s spicy Hot Pot. I’ve had Hot Pot many times before in Taiwan, Vietnam and Thailand, but I’ve never had hot pot as spicy as the Hot Pot you find here.

Instead of a light based soup broth your normally provided with to cook your meat and vegetables in, Sichuan’s Hot Pot is filled with chilly oil, chillies and the infamous Sichuan pepper. And it’s true, Sichuan pepper really does make your lips and tongue go numb, combined with an all-round tingling sensation in the mouth. I once read orthodontics used to give their patients Sichuan peppers before dong any dental work. It’s indeed crazy stuff.

I’m considering going to the market tomorrow to pick some of these Sichuan peppers up, and then find a way I can sneak them into my mums turkey stuffing when I go back to the UK for Christmas. Then again, I wonder if my grandmother would find the funny side of the joke :)

I read that the Chengdu government is cracking down on the street sellers here in Chengdu, which is a real shame, although fortunately for me, this BBQ man always set up shop right outside my hotel!

There’s so many BBQ’s stuff to chose from, although the BBQ pork and the corn on the cob, both brushed in soy sauce and a spicy chilly paste while on the BBQ, are my faves. Yum!