Szechuan Flavor brings dishes from one of the world's most famous culinary cities – to Regina

Rui Yang is on a mission "to carry on the culture of my hometown."

That hometown is one of the world's most famous culinary cities: Chengdu, the capital of the Sichuan province of China. Designated a UNESCO City of Gastronomy in 2011, Chengdu is the cradle of Sichuan cuisine, known the world over for its distinctive flavours and cooking techniques.

Yang operates Szechuan Flavor all by himself. He preps all of the ingredients, he steers the fiery wok, and delivers hot tea to customers with a smile. He even wipes down tables.

Seeing Yang in the kitchen is like watching a cooking show. He preps all of the ingredients in small dishes on the countertop, ready to add them to the hot wok one at a time. 

"Three things of importance in Sichuan cooking," Yang tells me through a translator, "it must look good, it must smell good, and it must taste good." 

I can confirm all are true of Yang's cooking.

The Sichuan region is known for styles of cooking like the hot pot and leng dan bei (street food), and techniques like stir-frying, steaming and braising. 

But the standout characteristics of Sichuan food are its fragrance and flavour. As Yang cooked for us, pungent hits of garlic, ginger, floral and citrusy Sichuan peppers, and hot chili peppers filled the kitchen.

Central to Sichuan cooking is the fermented broad bean chili paste. Yang uses the Pixian paste from the Pidu District of Chengdu, which he calls the "soul of all Sichuan food." 

Sichuan food is the sum of many parts. Dishes are layered and complex. 

By contrast, Yang is perplexed by Western dishes like steak. The steak stands alone, next to a baked potato and some salad. 

"The flavours are not related; they are separate," he says. "But the Chinese put all things together. The combination [is critical]." 

Yang learned to cook at home. While studying economics and accounting in university, he would go home for the summer and cook for the entire family while his parents worked. It became his passion. 

"There is a tradition in Chengdu that men should be involved in housework," says Yang, "and also every man should have some kind of favourite dishes that he is good at."