What to Eat in Chengdu in 72 Hours | Sichuan Street Food & Hotpot (ft. Kenny Song)

Good morning. We're in the heart of Suchan province, Chungdu. My favorite

word I learned in Sichuan is manzo, which means to walk slow. It's a tow influence phrase, a reminder to not rush, to move through the world gently.

But honestly, I'm starting to think it's because your is on fire from all the spice. This is a city of contrast.

the spice. This is a city of contrast.

Slow life, sipping tea, pandas lounging around, and then the night falls and it transforms into a fiery dragon. For our

spicy Chungdu journey, we're joined by our friend Kenny, a firstgen Canadian 20s, here to show us some of his favorite foods. You want some? Welcome

favorite foods. You want some? Welcome

to 72 hours in the spice capital of the world Chungdu.

I don't usually do these segments about what you should prepare before going to a country because I'm I'm a food vlogger. I'm not a travel vlogger. But

vlogger. I'm not a travel vlogger. But

there are some things that you should know about before coming to China.

Surprisingly enough, there's not that much information about it online, so I thought it could be helpful. There's

five apps I recommend you download before you come. First one, Alip Pay.

China is virtually almost cashless. So,

Alip Pay is going to be your way of paying. You can just link your foreign

paying. You can just link your foreign credit card. You do need to verify your

credit card. You do need to verify your passport and um sometimes it can take a couple days as well. So, do that at least a week before you come. Number two

is Di. So, Di is a sound that Chinese people make when you honk, you know, kind of cute, right? So, it's easy to remember. It's basically Chinese Uber.

remember. It's basically Chinese Uber.

So, if you want to hail a cab or get to somewhere, this is going to be your best bet. Number three is VPN. Most of the

bet. Number three is VPN. Most of the apps that you use on a daily basis is not going to be available when you're in China because of the great firewall.

Think Google Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Instagram, like all of these not available. So, I really, really

available. So, I really, really recommend that you download a VPN before you come because when you're in China, a lot of the VPN websites, you're not going to be able to connect. So, please,

please, please do this before you come.

Number four is a map. It's basically

China's version of Google Maps, but a lot of it is still in Chinese, so keep that in mind. Number five, and this is probably the most important one, is an eim. And thankfully, this video is

eim. And thankfully, this video is sponsored by SY. To use any of the apps that I just mentioned, you need to have an ESIM to be able to have connection.

And guaranteed, you're going to need internet on your phone the moment you land in China because you need to look up how to get to your hotel, call a DT, or pay for transportation. All of these things you need to have internet

connection or you're you're done. And

that is why I use SY. Sy is a global eim service that works in over 190 countries including China. What I really love is

including China. What I really love is that it is super easy to use. You just

need to download it on your phone.

Install the ESIM on your phone and you're instantly connected to internet the moment you touch down. No shady

roaming fees or having to wait in line at the kiosk, wasting time in airport lines. Even for somebody like me who

lines. Even for somebody like me who don't really understand how e work, it's just super easy to use. You open the s app, choose your destination, pick a plan that works for you, and then you

just need to check out using my code doobie dub to get 15% off. So download

the sale app today and use my code doobie dub to get 15% off your data plan whether you're heading to China or anywhere else in the world. Okay, let's

go eat some spicy food. Okay, so what are we eating for our first meal? Hua.

Let's get some mala spice.

That's disgusting. I should probably cut that out. Hogwa literally means firepot

that out. Hogwa literally means firepot in Chinese or hot pot. The fire

represents both the literal heat and fiery spicy flavors called mala. Spicy

and numbing. And especially in Sichuan style hot pot, the broth is laced with chilies and numbing peppercorns. to

brace ourselves. We decided to pregame our empty stomachs with something a little more mild. So, we're just gonna grab a little snack. Place has so many young people is because it's near

Sichuan University District. So, this is kind of like a party district. You're

going to see a lot of like restaurants with DJs in front and people selling flowers for couples. It's a dopamine rush and I love it. What caught my dopamine fueled eye? Something that

looks powdery white like snow. Not

cocaine because this is China, but also drugs are bad. Big no no. But ma tofu, aka hairy tofu. It's a popular street food snack. Usually sliced in half and

food snack. Usually sliced in half and gently crisped up in oil. The fuzzy

hairs fry into a thin lacy crust, so it's crispy on the outside, but soft and creamy on the inside. Kind of like blue cheese, but also loved by kids, too.

So, the fuzzy stuff that you see here, it's actually mold. So you inoculate a very special mold so that the tofu gets a really crispy texture. And now she's putting the sauce. The crispy tofu then

gets dressed with a spicy chili sauce made with chili oil, Sichuan pepperc corn powder, soy sauce, bean paste, garlic scallions cilantro sugar and vinegar to give it a spicy and bold vinegarette that clings onto the tofu.

Okay, first bite in Chungdu. Very very

funky. Yeah, I'm I'm ready. Okay. But

very spicy, soft, funky. Kind of reminds me of like kind of like sentry eggs. So,

it's so like funky, but it's umami at the same time. This is actually very nice and mild and fragrant. Okay, let's

we'll share this with Kevin. I feel bad because he's waiting in line for us.

Fresh tripe from Slaughterhouse, check.

Top quality thousand layer tripe, check.

Top quality fresh pig throat, check.

We're also going to get a cold pot of blood.

I asked for the spicy broth.

Let's see how my fares tomorrow.

[Music] Like this is more oil than water. I've

never seen anything like this at Heidi.

Heidi is Do you like how? Yeah, because

it's the best that we've ever experienced. Look at this guy. I think

experienced. Look at this guy. I think

it's so incredibly. So, my favorite part about hot pot, because I'm uncultured, is like the sesame dressing and the sweet sauce. But here in Sichuan, I hear

sweet sauce. But here in Sichuan, I hear they do things a little bit different.

Sesame oil, soy sauce, some cilantro if you're feeling it, chili. And it's just it's supposed to like cool down the food. But you still want to put chili in

food. But you still want to put chili in your dipping sauce. Of course, never enough chili.

Am I going to regret it? Probably. But I

can't lose against Kenny. I'm Korean.

Fresh tribe. That looks gnarly. That

looks so gnarly. Kenny, this is the food of your people. Don't say that. Like

Heidi will never serve something like this. Okay, so this one is the cow

this. Okay, so this one is the cow stomach. The tripe actually has more of

stomach. The tripe actually has more of like a texture to noodles because it's fresh. It's actually very like soft and

fresh. It's actually very like soft and tender.

Are you ready, dude? Are you really? No.

No. Not yet. Not yet. No. No. No. Kenny,

you're younger than me. No. I'm I'm

okay.

You know, do you know what a lip plumper is?

So, lip plumper is like what you put on your lips, like spicy product to make your lips fuller. Oh. Like swells it.

Yeah. That's what I feel like this hot pot is like for somebody who's never tried hot pot before. What makes a good Sichuan hot

before. What makes a good Sichuan hot pot? Okay. One is you can't skip out on

pot? Okay. One is you can't skip out on the oil. You look at a like a hot pot

the oil. You look at a like a hot pot broth, it's got to be like looks like it kill you. Boiling lava. I like that.

kill you. Boiling lava. I like that.

I actually just peeked my pants a little bit. Very tasty though. That's the

bit. Very tasty though. That's the

problem. It's super tasty. Wow, I sound like the most Caucasian I've ever sounded in my entire life. This is what what people say when they come to Korea.

They say it was really tasty. It was

just so spicy.

But I think tomorrow I'm going to build up my spice tolerance.

Kevin was surprisingly good. Kevin's

actually good. It actually it didn't even like It's infuriating.

Infuriating.

I want to say this is that place. I say

it's like okay. Hey, cut cut cut cut cut cut cut cut cut cut cut cut cut cut cut cut cut cut cut cut cut cut.

After a spicy hot pot, we spotted an auntie across the street selling bingfun, a beloved Sichuan summer dessert made from jelly derived from the seeds of an ice jelly plant. It's served

over crushed ice and topped off with a colorful mix of fruits, mung beans, boba, peanuts, grass jelly, then finished with a drizzle of sweet syrup.

Think of it as a slurpee, but make it herbal and jelloy.

How do you feel about She's good, huh?

[Music] She's telling us how to eat it.

Eat it and mix it. Eat it and then mix it. Oh, that stuff. That liquid. It's a

it. Oh, that stuff. That liquid. It's a

very distinct taste. Wow.

Very nice.

What is it? It's like an oasis after the hot pot. And that was all for day one.

hot pot. And that was all for day one.

See you tomorrow.

We're starting our morning with a cup of tea. What's special about Chungdu tea,

tea. What's special about Chungdu tea, Kenny? It's the best. After a very

Kenny? It's the best. After a very thoughtful and eloquent answer from Kenny, we went over to start our mornings like most people do in Changdu with a glass mug full of warm tea. And

the thing that's floating on top, it isn't backwash. It's jasmine flowers. Do

isn't backwash. It's jasmine flowers. Do

you know what's Kevin's favorite tea?

Kevin's favorite tea? Yeah. No. What?

Tina.

With a warm cup of tea and a lukewarm dad joke, we made our way over to the people's park.

People's Park in Chungdu is where locals sip tea, dance, and gossip under the shade of old trees. By the lake, you'll find Tai Chi in one corner and public matchmaking boards in another. We

spotted a couple of aunties dancing, so of course we joined in.

[Music] [Applause] Looks so dreamy.

He's so good. He's so good.

There's nothing as refreshing as a post dance cold cup of freshlysqueezed watermelon juice. See gu.

watermelon juice. See gu.

[Music] food.

Where our noses led us to was a street card selling jang bing, translated as sauce scented pancake. When you order, the dough gets stretched out, laminated with oil, rolled, twisted into a ball,

and flattened again for that extra layer of flakiness. It's slapped onto a hot

of flakiness. It's slapped onto a hot griddle, brushed with more oil, then flipped, and smothered in the vendor's special sauce, a mix of fermented soybean paste, chili oil, black vinegar,

sugar, satron pepper, corn, and garlic.

A sprinkle of sesame seeds for the final garnish before it's chopped off into bite-sized pieces and handed over with a side of eat quickly while it's hot.

Eat it fresh. Eat it first.

Wow.

It's soft. It's a little crispy. I love

the mala spice coming through and the sesame seeds. M. I like it. It goes so

sesame seeds. M. I like it. It goes so well with the vinegar.

This literally is Sichuan.

This is Sichuan pizza. Like it literally kind of tastes like it. Like the acidity little bit. Yeah. There's like a tomato

little bit. Yeah. There's like a tomato sauce. It's like a margarita actually.

sauce. It's like a margarita actually.

We're continuing our carb journey with dandamy. This is the second most

dandamy. This is the second most anticipated dish for me while I was in Chungdu to see what the original dandamy tasted like.

[Music] [Applause] Originally invented by a street vendor in Chungdu in the early 20th century, the name dandan refers to shoulder poles that vendors used to carry the setup.

One basket with noodles and the other with sauce and ingredients. He would

walk through the streets setting up wherever people gathered. and think of it as like the OG noodle food cart. What

sets authentic Chungdu style dandam apart is that it's more dry, pungent, and spicier and numbing thanks to the mala spice and uses ya chai which is a

preserved vegetable to give it that extra fun and sichuan pepperc corn.

Like I like a chunky sauce because it sticks to the noodle and it's just more flavorful. How's the

best bite of the trip so far? We also

ordered wanttons, which is a specialty at this place, and they look beautiful. Look at this.

It's also like filled to the brim.

It's super juicy. Clean bowl club.

Natalie Young.

While we were eating, we heard a man tapping on his hammer selling sutang, a Sichuan style crunchy honeycomb candy.

It translates to knock candy because vendors use a small hammer and chisel to break the brittle candy into small pieces. It's light airy and porous. And

pieces. It's light airy and porous. And

the candi is made from malt sugar, sesame seeds, and peanut with a crispy texture that melts in your mouth. It's

like taffy with a million holes. Yeah.

It goes like this. You bite it and then it's like what he said.

After a heavy carb filled morning, we decided to walk it off with a stroll along Seao River. It was a Sunday, so the aunties and were out playing Maajang, a classic Chinese game, played

with tiles. That's equal parts luck,

with tiles. That's equal parts luck, strategy, and loud commentary. And

things were getting serious. We stopped

by a vendor selling seasonal fruit, and picked up some cherries and peaches before heading over to Quanzai Alley for a little bit of sightseeing. It's a

historic district in Chungdu filled withQing Dynasty architecture. Today,

it's a maze of modern tea houses, street snacks, and souvenir shops. Definitely a

little touristy, but still very beautiful.

So, this is a place that I got recommended by at day with me. She is a Sichuan American content creator and she really, really likes this place. It's

like popping with the locals. So, I'm

very excited. And over there is where they're barbecuing all the rabbit. To

balance out our carbon this morning, we were craving something lean and protein richch. So, we headed over to Lao Hang

richch. So, we headed over to Lao Hang for some roasted rabbit. This is how you make a Chungdu style roasted rabbit. A

whole rabbit is cleaned, then butterfied, and then marinated in chili powders, ch peppercorn, garlic, and ginger, cumin, soy sauce, and oil. Then,

it's skewered and slow roasted, basted repeatedly with oil for a crispy finish.

For the final seasoning, it's dusted with more dried chili, pepperc corn, sesame before being served. We also

ordered a delicacy in Chanddu, a bowl of roasted rabbit heads. Boom. The face is on here, too. Yeah. No, it's giving me

ha like sun energy with the oval shape.

I like this because like it's a face stamp of approval being like, you know, I can put my face on this like I'm that proud. And our utensil of choice today

proud. And our utensil of choice today is going to be gloves. Gloves. I don't

like that though. I can't. Why? I don't

love eating with my hands. I like doing this, you know, this motion. This is

like But you like it. I like working for my meat.

Damn.

It's smaller than I thought.

Ooh, that looks gnarly. Oh, this is gnarly. to you first start off with the

gnarly. to you first start off with the cheeks. Ah, so you get all the cheek

cheeks. Ah, so you get all the cheek meat off. M. Oh, it's it's very shallow.

meat off. M. Oh, it's it's very shallow.

Yeah, it's right there. Like this. This

is the cheek meat. Kenya, are you feeling cheeky?

It's like jerky. It's like jerky. You

want to use your flanges?

Dig it.

Oh, and do this. This is what I like to say.

Small face, big eyes. I like what's your we surprisingly it's not like, you know, like fisheye like very jello. But this

is just neat. It's just kind of the imagery of poking out the eyeballs a bit. If you don't think about it, it's

bit. If you don't think about it, it's actually quite okay.

If you think about it. Wo. And that's

where all the goodness is. The brain.

The brain and the tongue. So this one is the rabbit tongue. Wow. Look at the little teeth. Also, it's molers. And if

little teeth. Also, it's molers. And if

you pull it out, it just comes right off like this.

It's definitely a little bit more lean and dense. How do we unlock the brain?

and dense. How do we unlock the brain?

So, there's a little opening right here.

Gate where the skull is. So, this

is the rabbit brain.

Wo. It's actually good. It's actually

very good. It tastes like, you know, like a French pate. Like I would love this on a cracker. Oh, it's not funky at all. No, it's not funky. It's very

all. No, it's not funky. It's very

creamy. It almost tastes like cheese.

Brain, don't skimp on it. That was the best part either.

The rabbit head got us an Amu snack. So,

we popped into a Sichuan convenience store and Kenny showed us some of his favorite snacks from his childhood. This

is I'm jacking this man. Anybody who

knows, if you know, you know. This is a lot. Okay. Okay. Let me translate. So

lot. Okay. Okay. Let me translate. So

jacking means he really digs this. It's

like look it says which means it's spicy spicy strip. What

is this? You know that gluten that you put in a hot pot. I think they turn it into strip and it's just smell. Just smell. It's the most

smell. Just smell. It's the most addicting smell on you. Eat it straight like that.

M m.

Oh, so you don't want to touch it because it's so oily.

I feel like I'm eating the world's tastiest rubber band. Rubber band. But

the sauce that's covering it is so good.

Like you could put this sauce on cardboard and I would be like, "Oh, this is the world's best tasting cardboard."

And I'll still dig it. Or as Kenny says it, jack it.

You know, like scrub daddy when it gets in hot water. That's exactly the texture.

[Music] We're back at People's Park to sip on some tea. And here better, we're going

some tea. And here better, we're going to get some ear cleaning done. Because

we're in Changdu, of course, we had to get our second cup of tea. This time at the iconic Heming Tea House. Even now,

people are still sipping tea, playing cards, and chilling by the lakeside. We

also got the full traditional tea pouring experience.

[Music] And it was so extra in the best way

possible. Kenny even showed us how to

possible. Kenny even showed us how to eat sunflower seeds in the OG way. This

is a classic. So what we do is when we watch movies and stuff like that, like a specialty for Sichuan people, like you see the other tables, there's just piles and piles of the sunflower seats. You

take the fatter end and you hold it like this. So it's like perpendicular. Just

this. So it's like perpendicular. Just

lightly crack it open. So it's like this. Oh, mama. Then you can put some

this. Oh, mama. Then you can put some pressure with your finger and your thumb and it opens up like a tongue, like a mouth. And you see how it's like peeking

mouth. And you see how it's like peeking out further? You take your tongue and

out further? You take your tongue and you like lick that out.

[Music] Oh, she said mine are kind of dirty.

Wait, do you guys clean your ears or not?

[Music] Oh, my hair. Look at my hair and my arms. They just went up straight away.

They actually did. Oh, do you hear something? It's the sound of my stomach

something? It's the sound of my stomach growling. Just when I thought People's

growling. Just when I thought People's Park couldn't get more beautiful, at night its beauty shines even brighter.

To get to our next location, we hopped on a Modi to Fuchi Night Market for some proper street.

Oh You need to look behind you guys.

[Music] Don't flash. No flash.

Don't flash. No flash.

Byebye.

We're going to get a very very classic chan literally means skewer skewer. I

mean, look at the characters. They

actually look like little skewers. You

pick and choose what you want, and the options are endless. Whatever you

imagine, you'll find it here. Skewer.

There's definitely some interesting ingredients, too, but we already had our brain quota maxed out for today, so we're passing. This is what we rolling

we're passing. This is what we rolling with. Okay. So, the way this works, you

with. Okay. So, the way this works, you pick a bunch of skewers and then give it to the guy to cook it. And uh he has a sigy in his mouth and I think it adds flavor. After you're done making your

flavor. After you're done making your selection, it gets counted and cooked in a bubbling hot pot and finished with a splash of spicy chili oil rising to the top.

[Music] Shall we take a look at our selection?

We got fish balls, quail eggs, this sprout spore thing, chicken heart, and lotus root. And we can't forget about

lotus root. And we can't forget about the sauce. You get a standard hot pot

the sauce. You get a standard hot pot style sesame oil sauce, but also a dry mix, peanuts, and then the secret mix.

This is like crack. Disclaimer, Kenny

has never tried crack, but it's a simile saying it's that good and addictive. And

at the end of the day, that's the beauty of Chonchan and so many classic Sichuan dishes. It's all about sharing. You

dishes. It's all about sharing. You

share skewers, the heat from the mala spice, and cold beer to chase it all down. And I know it's cheesy, but it's

down. And I know it's cheesy, but it's really about enjoying life the Chungdu way.

You haven't visited Sichuan in almost 10 years, right? And what do you feel like

years, right? And what do you feel like has been different since like the last time you were here versus now? It's so

much crazier right now. Maybe I can't remember much, but I don't know. I just

appreciate it so much more. More in tune my culture, you know, man. I only hear people say like speaking such at home.

So it's weird that being surrounded by that. So far on this trip overall,

that. So far on this trip overall, wherever you go, it seems like Sichuan is kind of like an untouched gem, especially for the west. True. What

would you say to people who are like on the cusp about coming to China? Out of

all the Asian cities I've been to, this is by far my favorite. You're not

surrounded by tourists. I think that's the biggest thing. I think China is like it is a whole universe of its own that everyone has to experience at least once in their life. I'm not saying it's going to be going to be the most comfortable.

And if you're also somebody who likes to travel for food and wants to appreciate culture, there's no place like China.

You look like some big backs. I mean, I thought if you're big back, you got like drunk in the trunk. No, big back is like you eat a lot of I don't know why, but it feels like the whole world is going

through a bit of a yogurt phase. And

China's right there with it. But instead

of the conventional fro yo flavors you'd find at Pink Berry, they do it a little different here. Not going to lie, one of

different here. Not going to lie, one of the flavors that we wanted to try was seaweed and meat floss cold extracted yogurt, but he ran out. So, we got

pistachio cold pickled yogurt and white peach jasmine cold extract yogurt jar.

Oh, wo. That is not what I was expecting. It's very sticky. It's like

expecting. It's very sticky. It's like

if gelato meted cream. And we saw another street cart that then said stir fried yogurt. So, we had to give that

fried yogurt. So, we had to give that one a try, too.

Take my nipple. Oh My

Oh, you scared me. You know what this looks like? A lush soap bar.

looks like? A lush soap bar.

I'm jacking it. This is really good.

I like both. I know Froyo is having a moment, but what really caught my eye was something OG. Soy milk in a plastic bag. And not just any soy milk. Here in

bag. And not just any soy milk. Here in

Chungdu, they infuse it with jasmine.

It's so good. It's so light and fragrant. Okay, we're going to have this

fragrant. Okay, we're going to have this with the last bite of today, which is

going to be ham skewies.

[Music] So this place focuses more on like

Shinjang style lamb skewers. Sichuan is

right on the border. So you're going to see a bunch of Muslim restaurants and a lot of people from Singinjang when they make the lamb skewers, they kind of like slap it to get rid of some of the

oiliness, but then they use that like fat and then lather it on the naan to make it really nice and crispy. So it

also absorbs some of that lamb fat and juices. So I had to order it. You can

juices. So I had to order it. You can

see on top it's sprinkled with cumin, sesame seeds, chili powder, and it gets really nice and crispy from all the lamb fat and the caramelization.

Okay. Okay. A third wheel.

They said that it was grilled mutton.

So, it's a older lamb. Yeah, you can kind of tell. But I prefer mutton over young lamb. Really more flavor, more

young lamb. Really more flavor, more wisdom in the meat.

Oh, yeah. Yeah.

That's it. Good night.

Good morning. I'm so hungry. I could eat Justin Han.

Let's go get some mafu.

Yeah. How do you know Justin Han? I

don't know.

[Music] That's good.

Oh, eggplant looks really good, too. A

lot going on, but I'm really loving it.

Kind of like how you fight for what you want in a dim sum cart here. It's self

served, so you just grab whatever you want to eat and whatever comes out. I

lost Tina. I don't know where Tina went, but I got some ladles. Holy moly. That

is the most stimulation I have ever felt in my life.

Hello.

[Music] [Applause] [Music] This is the most hectic experience in my life. Let's go over everything we

life. Let's go over everything we ordered first. So, one of the most

ordered first. So, one of the most iconic dishes here is Yangfen. And this

is mung bean jelly cold noodles. And

it's made into a jelly block, then sliced then into noodles, topped off with chili oil, vinegar, salt, MSG, scallions, and garlic, right? Sugar as

well. It's sweet and sour. Leang means

cold or chilled. So then everything that's cold, it it will be that sweet and sour type of combo. The texture,

it's cold and slippery, and it's kind of the perfect medium to just soak up sauce. The mung bean itself doesn't

sauce. The mung bean itself doesn't really have a taste, but it's very much like a texture thing. It goes really well with being cold. When people hear like mung bean, if you just try just the

jelly by itself, it doesn't taste like anything. Leang. So, it's the same

anything. Leang. So, it's the same leang. Leang, it means chilled. Noodles

leang. Leang, it means chilled. Noodles

when they're cold, they firm up a little bit. So, it has more of a al dente

bit. So, it has more of a al dente texture to it. Like there's more bite to the noodles. And I really really like

the noodles. And I really really like that. Very sweet and sour. So, what is

that. Very sweet and sour. So, what is this? This is mang. Okay. Well, mi is

this? This is mang. Okay. Well, mi is rice and then it's lean. It's the same as this. So it's just like made with a

as this. So it's just like made with a different material. So this is made with

different material. So this is made with rice flour, rice starch.

It's way different. So different. It's

more like gluttonous. And I know that people hate it when I use that word because I don't know how to pronounce it right because it's like in between like a cold jelly and a rice cake. There's

more like mushiness to it. But it's very satisfying. Oh, she's good at describing

satisfying. Oh, she's good at describing it. That's exactly how I describe

it. That's exactly how I describe actually. And what's this? This is the

actually. And what's this? This is the vegetable. Beautiful. It It has this

vegetable. Beautiful. It It has this purple hue coming out of it.

Oh, it's like a balance. I love veggies cooked with MSG. Like I won't have it any other way. And then this one. This

is the dish that I've been probably the most excited to try. What's the name of this? Na. And na means pig brain. You

this? Na. And na means pig brain. You

can see all the folds and the crevices of the brain. There's a smart pig. But

this looks like mako tofu and made with a similar base with dobanjang. But

there's a special addition to it and that is pig brain. I'm not looking forward to this either. Well, yesterday

we had rabbit brain and it was surprisingly very good. Okay. Yeah,

you're right. I want yaka yum. It's very

creamy. I will say, you know, the yogurt that we tried yesterday. Oh, yeah. It

actually tastes like that. Yuck or yum.

I think the texture is cool. I'm just

like waiting for that like weird funky taste to hit me at the end. It always

hits at the end. I'm like, "Oh, no." For

me, even if it does, the sauce covers it and the sauce is so good. That's true.

And Sichuan is also the home to do jang, right? Yeah. Dbanjang is probably the

right? Yeah. Dbanjang is probably the most iconic ingredient other than this the peppercorns. If you get a bite of

the peppercorns. If you get a bite of this, like it's like boom, beasted. This

is a recommendation I got from the OG Food Ranger, and it really did not disappoint. The restaurant's a little

disappoint. The restaurant's a little north from central Chungdu, but I highly recommend stopping by before heading to the Panda Research Center. This park is huge, so wear your most comfortable

sneakers. When we went, all the pandas

sneakers. When we went, all the pandas were indoors, unfortunately, hiding from the heat, which made Kevin a little sad.

panda, but it's still a fun place to see giant pandas lounging around, munching on bamboo. The park itself is stunning.

on bamboo. The park itself is stunning.

And don't miss the red pandas either.

They hang out in the trees outside, just chilling. And it was totally worth the

chilling. And it was totally worth the trip.

After seeing some cute pandas, we were hungry to go try some ourselves. So, we

headed over to the stall and bought some panda ice creams. JK, they weren't panda flavored, but bamboo and green cichron peppercorn.

Okay. So, this one is the bamboo and coconut flavor. Because we're in a panda

coconut flavor. Because we're in a panda breeding center, we're going to eat what they eat.

That is delicious. It's very good. That

is fantastic. And this one is the Sichuan green pepperc corn ice cream.

You can really taste the Sichuan pepperc corn. That's for sure. This was a

corn. That's for sure. This was a question by Kevin. He was asking like what do Sichuan people call Sichuan peppercorn? And it's called huajao.

peppercorn? And it's called huajao.

Huajao, which means flower pepper. Yeah.

So, because it's a pepperc corn that's a little bit more floral, you can really taste like the floral essence of it, you know, and it's numbing. Yeah. Try it.

Sorry. I'm interrupting. It tastes No, it tastes very like it tastes very fine dining.

After walking all day, we knew we had to eat well, especially because it was Kenny's last night. So, we headed over to Chen Mapo Tofu, one of the oldest restaurants in Changdu. and the actual

birthplace of Mapo Tofu. So, this place is actually on the Michelin bib. And let

me read out what they're saying. Mapo

Tofu is a world famous Sichuan classic dating back to theQing Dynasty. Word has

it that this century old shop is the true original source of this numbing spicy dish invented by Lady Chen. And

then the meaning behind mapo tofu, it translates to like marked grandma's tofu. So this lady who invented map

tofu. So this lady who invented map tofu, she had a lot of like acne and scars. So her skin was really bad. And

scars. So her skin was really bad. And

then saying, "Yeah, it's this lady with like pepperoni faced ladies tofu dish."

Kind of mean, but mala cold uh chicken.

Cold dish. Okay. Chicken is better served cold. Why do you think so? I like

served cold. Why do you think so? I like

the bounciness of the texture from the skin when it's coagulates and the collagen kind of springs back when it's cold. And I like the vinegar also aspect

cold. And I like the vinegar also aspect to it. I like the flavor. Flavor is very

to it. I like the flavor. Flavor is very great. Okay. What is this dish? This is

great. Okay. What is this dish? This is

called huoro which directly translates to back into the pot. So it means twice cooked pork. It's boiled first and it's

cooked pork. It's boiled first and it's made really tender and then it's cut really thin and then straight into the walk and then just fried a really high heat and then thrown in with all the vegetables and stirfried. And this is a

very sichan classic. So iconic. It's

like my dad's cooking really. He

actually does it just exactly like this.

So this I think is the most iconic because it should be covered in chilies and you have to look for the meat. There

are so many Sichan pepper corns rising to the top. I'm low key. This is I'm excited. Breaking out a little bit. In

excited. Breaking out a little bit. In

the sea full of the chilies, you just got to like just got to search for your meat. You literally fish out the fish.

meat. You literally fish out the fish.

Ah, there you go.

[Music] I first thought that it's not spicy until the moment I cracked into a Satron pepper cord and my mouth just became completely

paralyzed.

This is fantastic. It's the fish is so buttery and just I don't know so soft.

But this is the original bunga chicken, right? This is how my dad makes it. How

right? This is how my dad makes it. How

the actual Sichuan people make it. But

they do velvet the chicken so it has a bit of starch but it's not even close to deep fried. And what what is velveting?

deep fried. And what what is velveting?

Velveting is the technique that you use to season and also tenderize the meat before you stir fry. And it creates kind of a slippery mouth feel when you eat

it. So it's really tender. It's very

it. So it's really tender. It's very

tender. Yeah.

Not going to lie, kungpow chicken is never one of those dishes that I like to order at Chinese takeout. Yeah. But this

is different because what I'm used to is like overly greasy. You know, the American version cuz that's what I know.

But this is fresh and the peanuts are actually really crunchy instead of being soggy. Yeah. Satron pepperc corn laced

soggy. Yeah. Satron pepperc corn laced on top and it has a really nice zingy fresh finish to it. And I'm I'm really loving it. Oh, you're a fan. You're a

loving it. Oh, you're a fan. You're a

fan. I'm a fan. Yum. Now, on to like the finale, which is the authentic map tofu.

OG, man. This is like the highlight of my Chungdu trip. Let's see if it lives up to the hype. Okay. Cheers.

Number one, I've never seen mapu tofu be served in a pot or tung pot. Yeah, I've

never seen it. That's not very normal, right? That's not very common, right? I

right? That's not very common, right? I

don't think so. But I have to say it's less spicy than what I thought it was going to be. Maybe it's because my tongue is completely numbified from the fish. I think maybe it is supposed to be

fish. I think maybe it is supposed to be like that though. It's like one of those munch foods that you can just keep on going at instead of picking at because this is Kenny's last day. We got some

What is this? Bou. It's like super strong. It's just straight liquor, but

strong. It's just straight liquor, but people love it here. So, what percent proof is it? It's about 40 though. Wow.

So, this is like Chinese vodka, right?

This is 45. This is 45%.

No way. I feel like that's like half of like a hand sanitizer. Hand sanitizer is usually 90%. Extra. Are you sure this is

usually 90%. Extra. Are you sure this is not medical grade? Kevin will drink this. Kevin will drink this. I'm going

this. Kevin will drink this. I'm going

to skip it.

Doesn't smell like 45% at all. Gambi

here.

Sounds good. Not bad. It tastes like if you put machu into vodka. It's very

fragrant and it doesn't actually make me like grimace the same way. It is strong though. It made you It is strong, but

though. It made you It is strong, but it's it's nice.

Thank you so much to coming to Satron with us. Thank you guys for the

with us. Thank you guys for the opportunity. It's actually a lot of fun.

opportunity. It's actually a lot of fun.

Thank you guys. Cheers. Gamb.

We're starting our morning today with a little pastry called guoy. It translates

to pot helmet because legend has it a hungry soldier cooked it on his iron helmet over open fire. Beautiful. Do you

see the lamination on this? Look at how flaky this is. This is more flaky than my skin. I'm moisturized during the

my skin. I'm moisturized during the winter.

Crispy. I'm sorry guys. cuz I wanted to do the juicy B-roll of pulling it apart, but it was too hot.

The badon is crispy pastry embedded with beef fat, garlic, and wheat. This is

what it is. And the way they're making it is insane. You have this piece of dough. You laminate it really, really

dough. You laminate it really, really thin by slapping it almost like you would with making templed noodles and then you spread it even thinner with a

roller and then spread a mixture of the meat and leak and then you smear it across the dough. Roll it up and then roll it thin again and then deep fried.

Wow, this is so good.

This almost reminds me of Indian Roti or Paratha in the way that it's laminated.

And because Suchan province borders right next to Nepal and Shinjang, which is the Muslim province, there's a lot of influences from both provinces in

Sichuan culture. And this is insanely

Sichuan culture. And this is insanely delicious. It's one of the best

delicious. It's one of the best laminated dough I've ever tried in my life. Is that too niche? Maybe. And then

life. Is that too niche? Maybe. And then

for baby, the classic Chinese iced tea.

If you ever see this in a Chinese grocery store, this is like Arizona iced tea, but for Chinese people, it slaps.

So Kenny left last night, so today is just going to be you and I. We're going

to go check out the spice market. It's a

tiny bit further away from the city center. It's on the north side. So,

center. It's on the north side. So,

we're going to do a little bit of shopping for some spices.

[Music] [Music] So, we're currently at the dry goods

market, and you're going to be able to see a lot of the spices that are essential to Suchan cuisine. Over there,

you have Chinese cinnamon, as well as a lot of great medicinal goods as well.

And construction.

Wow.

We're going to pick up some red pepperc corns. I think this is good amount.

corns. I think this is good amount.

Luca, no, I don't know. I don't know.

Also, this is the pepper spice that we've been seeing for lamb. This is what you need to make great chili oil. It's

easy to feel overwhelmed walking into a bustling spice market. Especially when

you don't have a good grasp of Mandarin or local Sichuan dialect. But the women here, their generosity and deep understanding of spices leap beyond any language barrier. I explained to them

language barrier. I explained to them that I wanted to make my own Sichuan lu or chili oil and they knew exactly what to recommend. Oh, so it's also okay to

to recommend. Oh, so it's also okay to come here and mix some of the different spices and we're going to just get a good mix for what makes the best lu

which is chili oil. So her suggestions were starinise and look how beautiful the star is. She also recommended dried ginger, fennel, Chinese nutmeg,

cinnamon, sand ginger, bay leaves, and gardinia, which gives it a nice orange hue.

Maybe I got a little bit carried away.

Like the aroma that you get from this is just totally different from what you can buy in a grocery store. Okay. Wow.

Byebye. Byebye.

We got so many goods.

This is what I like to call a spice bag, as the Irish like to say it.

This area is super cool. And if you're someone who likes to cook like me, you have to go check it out. There's spice

markets, kitchen wear shops, and even a wholesale tea market nearby. I picked up a bamboo walk brush. Walk it like you walk. Walk it like you. Then we made our

walk. Walk it like you. Then we made our way over to Wenshu Monastery. Well,

almost. We got lured in by the smell of freshly baked bread from Gunging Gaudian Pu. This place is a beloved local

Pu. This place is a beloved local institution, as you can probably tell by the line out front. It started in 1994, but carries onQing Dynasty Imperial pastry traditions. Everything's handmade

pastry traditions. Everything's handmade and sold by weight. So, we grabbed a couple to snack on later. The line got longer. That's when it makes me really

longer. That's when it makes me really happy. With a bag full of baked goods in

happy. With a bag full of baked goods in one hand, we made our way towards Wenshu Monastery to go for what we really came here for. Tanguian sweet water noodle.

here for. Tanguian sweet water noodle.

You thought I was coming all the way here for the monastery? No, that's just what I enjoy on the side. I travel for food first. Sweetwater noodle.

food first. Sweetwater noodle.

So, Tanguan is one of the most classic Sichuan dishes that you can get. Located

right in front of Wenshu Temple. You can

see over there, that's the temple entrance and it's just right across. So

tanguin translates to sweet water noodles and the crystal that you see on top, it's all sugar. What's very, very interesting about this is the girthiness

of the noodles. There's no other way to say it. Think of udon, but then it took

say it. Think of udon, but then it took steroids and then ketamine and went on an all meat diet. That's what this noodle is. I mean, it's so thick that

noodle is. I mean, it's so thick that it's hard to mix. Look at that. all

glossy and saucy.

I'm really surprised that this is a very classic Sichuan dish because it's so sweet. I know that the name of it is

sweet. I know that the name of it is sweet water noodles, but still it's very sweet. It tastes like Korean food. The

sweet. It tastes like Korean food. The

bite of the noodle is super interesting.

It's a little spicy dough jang, but sweet, sesame, and it's oily. It's both

sweet, savory, and spicy. It's really

addictive, but the noodles are so thick that it's hard to slurp. They're

delicious. Feels more like dessert.

After giving it the clean bowl club hall of fame that it deserves, we finally made our way to Wu Temple, only to stop at a pagod nearby for a little snack break.

It's pastry time. This one is so good.

We already ate like half of it. Cheers.

It's like a short crust pastry and inside is orange peeled jam. Yeah. And

very condensed and peeled jam. It's not

very watery. Uh-uh. It's really good. A

bit of bitterness coming from the rind and sweetness. And the combination is

and sweetness. And the combination is really good. Wow. You go ahead. No, you

really good. Wow. You go ahead. No, you

get the big piece. So, this is like almost like a cookie crust on top. It's

commonly sold in a lot of Chinese grocery stores in the US called pineapple bum because of the crust on the outside.

Wow, the filling in the middle. That's

so tasty. Salted egg yolk mixed up with some sugar. And this one, it's so good.

some sugar. And this one, it's so good.

I love how much they like caramelized.

Very igy. It's okay.

After a few days of eating non-stop and weaving through Chungdu crowds, walking into Wu Monastery felt like hitting pause. It's quiet here. Not empty,

pause. It's quiet here. Not empty,

quiet, but the kind that feels settled.

You'll hear soft chanting in the distance, leaves rushing against each other, and a steady curl of incense in the air. The temple has been around

the air. The temple has been around since the Tong Dynasty over,300 years ago. There's a story about a monk who

ago. There's a story about a monk who meditated here for years, and when he passed, his body didn't decay, so people believed he was Manushiri himself. The

buildings are simple, but full of detail. Red wood, gold script,

detail. Red wood, gold script, everything softened by time. And in the middle of a city that's always moving, Wenshu just sits still like it's always

been here and forever will be.

After a peaceful afternoon at Wu, it was time to switch gears. We headed back into the heart of the city to explore Chungd's more urban side. And of course, we had to hunt down for some of its most

iconic street food. We're getting Dan Honga, a soft griddled snack that's part crepe, part sponge cake. It starts with a ladle of runny batter poured into a hot clamshell shaped iron mold. The mold

seals shut, cooking it until it's golden, puffy, and just a little crisp around the edges. Then it gets filled with either a sweet or savory filling, whatever your filling. Okay, this was

one of the last things that we've been looking to try for Sichuan street food, and it's called daong guaab.

Essentially, it's like a fluffy pancake that you make by swirling the pan around and then it's filled with meringue shredded pork floss. Let's try.

It's very sweet. M. Look at this inside.

This tastes like imagine like a Japanese soule pancake but with pork floss. A

little porky.

Ah. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. We're

getting sweet soft silken tofu. If you

thought tofu was only for savory, you are so wrong. The name dha translates to tofu flour because of the soft silky texture of the tofu which resembles a

floating flower petals when it's cut and served with sweet syrup. Onto a bed of soft silken tofu goes a layer of ice to cool down. Sticky glutenous rice balls.

cool down. Sticky glutenous rice balls.

Tapioca pearls. Rice cakes. More rice

cakes. Red bean water chestnut covered in tapioca. sweet goo, pineapple,

in tapioca. sweet goo, pineapple, cantaloupe, and hung sauce, aka brown sugar syrup infused with ginger.

So, the syrup, you might be thinking like it's just going to be sweet, but it's actually sweet and sour with a tiny hint of like licorice note at the end,

but this tofu is so soft. Like I know the concept of eating tofu as a dessert might seem a little bit foreign, but it's just like eating pudding. If you

put a sweet sauce over it, remember tofu doesn't really taste like anything, so it can really take on any type of characteristic.

Let's go eat more.

It's a mix of that. Wow. Wow.

that. Wow. Wow.

[Music] This is going to be our last meal.

Malongia.

This is probably the dish that I see so much on Chinese Tik Tok. I watch hella mukbangs of malongia.

I've never been more ready.

Everyone has different techniques for how they eat their malalongia, but I just like to behead it. Squeeze out some of the inards. Like this is the good

stuff. So you get all the pulp out and

stuff. So you get all the pulp out and then you dip it in to the mala oil and then you eat it. Did

you know they're distant cousins of cockroaches?

Spicy, but you kind of need it for crayfish in my opinion. Like you need a lot of spice because crayfish is a river seafood, you know? So sometimes you can have that riveriness because it's not

like a freshwater seafood. So it really works well with the spice.

So delicious. I would say this is very hiang very spicy. But it's just one of those dishes that like the meat is so tiny. It's mainly for the sauce. You

tiny. It's mainly for the sauce. You

know, like how when you do a crayfish boiled down south in New Orleans, you put like a bucket of Old Bay seasoning.

It's the same here except mala spice. So

it's more spicy and chingly in your mouth and consume a lot of oil.

[Music] This is remnants of Malongia.

Honestly, coming to Chungdu, I didn't know what to expect, but I definitely didn't expect this. Changdu reminded me that life doesn't always have to move fast. The city flows at its own pace.

fast. The city flows at its own pace.

There's something in the air here. The

scent of citroron peppercorn, floral and numbing and alive that floats through the streets. You slow down, enjoy the

the streets. You slow down, enjoy the moment, share a drink with friends, and take in the quiet beauty of the Jin River by Anishan Bridge. At the heart of Chungdu is its spice. Not just in the

food, but in the way the city makes you feel. Tingly, present, and impossible to

feel. Tingly, present, and impossible to forget.

[Music] This is for our upcoming video.

And then let me just get the one