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Possibly the most famous dish to come out of Sichuan, mapo tofu is one of those 'final meal' dishes we don’t think we could ever get sick of. A bowl of this over warm steamed rice is the ultimate comfort food. This vegan mapo tofu recipe, made with shiitake mushroom instead of the usual pork or beef, is actually one of the deepest, most flavorful we’ve ever had. The secret is of course, is in the mapo sauce. To retain the umami in this vegan mapo tofu, you'll need a good doubanjiang (fermented fava bean paste - this is important!), Sichuan Chili Crisp,...

If you've traveled to Chengdu, you've probably visited the legendary noodle shop across from Wenshu Temple, the one with a constant line snaking out the door and old ladies at the window deftly saucing hundreds of bowls of noodles and mung bean jellies. (And if you haven't - what are you waiting for? Check out our Chengdu Guide for all the deets) The star of the show is always Sweet Water Noodles, thick strands of chewy, al dente freshly pulled noodles bathed in a sweet, spicy, nutty and garlic-y elixir that is just oh-so-addictive.  But did you know you can skip all...

Guanyinege Old Teahouse in Pengzhen county just outside of Chengdu is a century-old tea house that doesn’t seem to have changed with the times. Faded murals of cultural revolution era artwork and slogans adorn the walls and neighborhood seniors camp out with tobacco pipes and sip bottomless cups of tea from sunrise.