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Q: Is the Sichuan food more spicy than Indian or Thai food?
Hi Mike, to be honest I don't even think most Indian or Thai food is spicy. The spiciest food I had in Singapore and that was Thai. Some Sichuan dishes are okay - beware of the one which they call 'black pepper' - it makes your tongue numb.
Regards,
Tom
Like Tom said, some Sichuan food is numbing, a bit different from the spice of Thai food. I just spent CNY in Malaysia and Thailand, and in my opinion Indian food would probably be the least spicy, Thai 2nd and Sichuan probably #1. But the thai and sichuan spicy are quite contrasting flavors.
I prefer South American (Peru, Colombia) spiciness, over Chinese (Sichuan) numbing and 'butt hurting' food.
South American hot peppers in food makes you sweat as soon after you ingest it, similar like at gym exercising, butt...other parts of your body feel OK.
Never tried Sichuan spiciness - or have I? How does spicy Hunan food rank compared to Sichuan? I know Hunan's spicy food is mostly just a cover up and distraction for an otherwise disgusting dish. Well, unless my wife or MIL cooked it...
With that said, Indian food doesn't seem all that spicy. Granted, I only tried it in Japan... but the food had a different type of spiciness. How do I explain this? It's like a really pungent aroma and heavy taste, with a moderate amount of spiciness balanced to near-perfection. In Hunan (dunno if it's the same as Sichuan, sorry), I find it very difficult to taste anything after trying a spicy dish. It just numbs my tongue, or keeps it perpetually burning, so anything else I eat is rather unpleasant.
Be honest, Sichuan food is more spicy than than Indian or Thai food. Many different kinds of peppers are used in Sichuan food. Try it, you will like it.
Sichuan food has two types of "spicyness". The Sichuan pepper which gives the fizz and mouth numbing (very slight) taste and effect and then the chilli that is added. Those dried red chillies are sensational and when you added the Sichuan pepper it is a match made in heaven. Thai food relies exclusively on chilli and the amount and type dictate its "hotness". I know a few Thai folk and I can't eat their food at the level of hotness they eat.
So in my opinion Thai food is hotter, Sichuan is more spicy and by far my favorite style of food. Eaten with a cold beer to compliment of course.
