Suancai (suān cài) Fish, also called as hot and sour fish soup with pickled mustard green, is one representative dish of shàng hé bāng of Sichuan Cuisine. The specialty is tongue-numbing and spicy. And its secret of unique flavor lies in the Suancai, or pickled mustard green.

Jiangjin Suancai fish, a Chongqing specialty, has a hot and sour flavor with pickled mustard green as a key ingredient. (Photo from Chongqing Geographic Map)

It is originated from Jiangjin District, Chongqing municipality. There are many versions about its origin and one story behind it has a close relationship with Zou Kaixi, a local chef in Jiangjin. Or it might be better to say that Chef Zou is a promoter of the specialty rather than a creator of it.

In a hot summer, Zou Kaixi became a restaurant owner and worked as the chef. Drivers passing by and pregnant women living around expressed their desire to eat something different as an appetizer, rather than greasy dishes as usual. Not long after that, Chef Zou made a good use of pickled vegetable, which has been a household ingredient in Chongqing, and of fish as a main local resource for a riverside city. Time after time, Jiangjin Suancai fish has become famous for its tasty flavor.

Jiangjin Suancai fish distinguishes itself from others by pouring seasoning in boiled oil onto prepared fish, rather than cooking the fish with seasoning together.

Sliced fish (Photo from Chongqing Geographic Map)

About Sichuan Cuisine and Pickled Vegetables

Sichuan cuisine represents one major Chinese cuisine. It is a local cuisine dating back to many years ago and composing part of the culture of ancient Sichuan in southwest China. Ancient Sichuan has two parts, namely Sichuan province and Chongqing municipality.

Sichuan cuisine is classified into three categories: shàng hé bāng with relative light flavor mainly in Chengdu and Meishan, xiǎo hé bāng with salty taste mainly in Zigong, where is famous for its rich salt locally, and xià hé bāng with spicy food mainly in Chongqing.

Pickled vegetables constitute an important component and soul of Sichuan Cuisine. Kinds of vegetables can be pickled if you would like to and pickled mustard green, suān cài in Chinese Pinyin, is just one of them. For example, pickled chili peppers, pickled cucumber, pickled cabbage and pickled garlic.