33 Spicy Dishes You Should Try In China : Ultimate Bucket List (2026)
Introduction
This list has been curated by me, a person who has worked part-time for 8 years in Chinese restaurants and takeouts in a European country. Yes, I’m from a restaurant family. 👨🏻🍳
I am back in China permanently and frequently explore new dishes, with an aim to recommend them to family and friends.
I have hand-picked these dishes to suit the tastes of those who love spicy dishes and relatively familiar ingredients, with a few exceptions for the adventurous.
Many dishes contain a lot of vegetables, as is common in Chinese cuisine.
This list mainly covers Sichuan, Chongqing, Hunan, and Jiangxi food, which are 4 of the spiciest cuisines in China.
Guizhou is also up there, but I haven’t visited Guizhou yet - this list will be updated!
If you’re visiting one of the cities or provinces below, I recommend you prioritise the local dishes first as you will get the most authentic version in the home provinces.
But you should be able to find excellent versions of most dishes in any major city. So, don’t fret. You won’t run out of spicy food to try! 🍜
The lists only contain some highlighted dishes for each province. You may have heard of some of them.
There are many more spicy dishes not been covered here, so don’t be afraid to try other dishes.
⚠️ Some of these dishes can be extremely spicy.
If you aren’t used to super spicy dishes, I suggest you take it slowly for the first meal and increase the spice level if you don’t have any digestive issues.
You can ask for wēi là (微辣) = mildly spicy. Make sure you know where the bathroom is.
Wishing you an amazing food journey throughout China! Do your best to “collect” all of these dishes during your trip! 🥢
Interested in visiting China?
Chengdu and Sichuan cuisine
1. kung pao chicken | gōng bǎo jī dīng | 宫保鸡丁⭐
2. twice cooked pork | huí guō ròu | 回锅肉
3. tofu in spicy sauce | má pó dòu fu | 麻婆豆腐
4. Sichuan hotpot | sì chuān huǒ guō | 四川火锅 ⭐
5. minced pork noodles with chili oil and Sichuan pepper | dàn dàn miàn | 担担面
6. spicy boiled pork | shuǐ zhǔ ròu piàn | 水煮肉片
7. mouthwatering chicken (a cold dish) | kǒu shuǐ jī | 口水鸡
8. fish fragrant shredded pork | yú xiāng ròu sī | 魚香肉絲
9. numbing and spicy soup | má là tàng | 麻辣烫
10. numbing and spicy fragrant pot (many varieties) | má là xiāng guō | 麻辣香锅
11. “ants climbing a tree” (ground meat noodles) | mǎ yǐ shàng shù | 蚂蚁上树
❗Check out my Chengdu ultimate travel guide here
******
Chongqing cuisine
12. Chongqing hotpot | chóng qìng huǒ guō | 重庆火锅
13. Chongqing noodles | chóng qìng xiǎo miàn |重庆小面 ⭐
14. dry chili chicken | là zǐ jī | 辣子鸡
15. fish with pickled mustard greens | suān cài yú | 酸菜魚 ⭐
Chongqing used to be part of Sichuan province. You’ll find a lot of Sichuan dishes in Chongqing and many dishes overlap. So, just use these two lists together.
❗Check out my Chongqing ultimate travel guide here
******
Soups
16. fish in sour soup (from Guizhou province) | suān tāng yú | 酸汤鱼
17. hot pepper soup (from Henan province) | hú là tāng | 胡辣汤
18. hot and sour soup (different varieties all over China) | suān là tāng | 酸辣汤
******
Changsha and Hunan cuisine
19. stir fried beef with chilies | là jiāo chǎo ròu | 辣椒炒肉 ⭐
20. stir fried pork with chili peppers | nóng jiā xiǎo chǎo ròu | 农家小炒肉
21. fragrant spicy beef | xiāng là niú ròu | 香辣牛肉
22. numbing and spicy crayfish | má là xiǎo lóng xiā | 麻辣小龙虾
23. steamed fish head with chopped peppers | duò jiāo yú tóu | 剁椒鱼头
24. stinky tofu (warning: it really does stink!) | chòu dòu fu | 臭豆腐
******
Nanchang and Jiangxi cuisine
25. stir-fried pork with Yugan chilies | yú gàn là jiāo chǎo ròu | 余干辣椒炒肉
26. Nanchang rice noodles | nán chāng chǎo mǐ fěn | 南昌炒米粉
27. Ningdu three cup chicken (this is the spicy version) | níng dōu sān bēi jī | 宁都三杯鸡
28. Jinggang smoked bamboo shoots | jǐng gǎng yān sǔn | 井岗烟笋
29. fried bacon with Artemisia selengensis (a type of herb) | lí hāo chǎo là ròu | 藜蒿炒腊肉
******
All other provinces
30. “big plate chicken”(from Xinjiang region) | dà pán jī | 大盘鸡
31. hot dry noodles (from Wuhan) | rè gān miàn | 热干面
32. cold noodles in chili and vinegar sauce (from Xi’an) | liáng pí | 凉皮 ⭐
33. hand pulled noodles in spicy sauce (from Xi’an) | biáng biáng miàn | 𰻝𰻝面 ⭐
❗Check out my Xi’an ultimate travel guide here
