Dry Chili Chao Shou does not show up in Google. It doesn ’ t have a Facebook foliate, nor is it number with a geotag on Instagram. In fact, the mom-and-pop shop doesn ’ thymine market itself at all. Yet the 5-year-old Dry Chili Chao Shou ( Gan Hai Jiao Chaoshou, in Chinese ) sells out of its homemade dumplings about nightly .
That ’ second because this hide gem serves possibly the best chao shou in all of China. even better ? China recently eased up its 144-hour visa-free travel rules for Chengdu, so you can enjoy this dumpling good — and explore the stay of the Sichuan region — without the drawn-out pre-trip visa application. The dumpling style, which originated in Chengdu, the largest city in China ’ s Sichuan state, is known as “ the dumpling of the people, ” and is made with square skins that fold about in a crescent shape. pork is the most common fill .
On any given day you ’ ll find a gaggle of dizzy feasters gorging on piles of meaty, overstuff dumplings.
“ good and authentic sources of ingredients are hard to find, ” says Li Qing, who co-owns Dry Chili Chao Shou with her spouse, Bian Zheng Chuan. “ We spent a lot of time searching for it and evening went a far as Yunnan and Guizhou to get our ingredients. ” The restaurant attracts dumpling enthusiasts with 15 different variations of chao shou, including stewed chicken with yellow mushroom and fish glue, chicken soup with squid, hot-and-sour and the namesake dry chili .
The couple ’ second dumpling dreams sprung out of necessity in 2014, when both Qing and her conserve lost their jobs. They decided to open a restaurant but couldn ’ t afford the rend of a stand-alone space, so they opened up shop class in their own apartment, which is tucked away in a erstwhile military community from the 1960s. The ladder-and-window entrance is the best option for getting diners in and out cursorily. That is, if patrons can find it.
Read more: Homemade Dumplings
At first, a sea of hamper, noisy diners at communal tables in the bedrooms may seem intimidating. It ’ s like you ’ re walk in on a strange ’ s class reunion, except you don ’ thymine speak the language — and Grandma ’ second means besides interfering to let anyone lick the spoon. But that ’ s what a top-secret syndicate recipe can do in spice-loving Chengdu .
When they opened Dry Chili Chao Shou, Qing says she “ in truth columba deep into refine and innovating my recipe, contributing to the menu and what we serve today. ” On any given day you ’ ll find a gaggle of dizzy feasters gorging on piles of meaty, overstuff dumplings ; the distinctive suffice has at least eight. ( And, as the clutter tables show, one serve is never adequate. ) In the corner, an assembly wrinkle of cooks churns out dumplings by the twelve to stay ahead of the diners ’ demands .
Read more: Homemade Dumplings
however, numerous competitors, including restaurants operated by their own kin members, are capitalizing on Dry Chili Chao Shou ’ s popularity and tough-to-find venue — by launching restaurants under the same diagnose in easier-to-find locations. Close friends and even relatives are “ opening copycat shops, ” explains Ruixi Hu, a Chengdu native who operates the Lost Plate Food Tour ship’s company, which has been making a break here since 2015. “ Those people came over and asked for the recipe, and it ’ s hard to say no to them when it ’ s your family. ”
still, imitators have nothing on Qing ’ s one-of-a-kind recipe and dining feel, she adds. “ szechwan cuisine is so accurate, they can never duplicate the soul of the season. ”
And while the restaurant has become highly popular — it about constantly has a occupation before it opens at 11:30 am, and it sells out by 8 pm — Qing makes sure early supporters like Hu can find a seat. She besides regularly sets dumplings aside for tour-goers ( like me ). And thank good she does because, as a bleached chicken paper Scotch-taped to the wall states, unlike imitators, this is the on-key and original Dry Chili Chao Shou restaurant. now that — the apartment ’ s only piece of interior decoration — is worth framing .
Go There: Dry Chili Chao Shou
- Location: The exact location is #71 Building 21, Unit 3, Jian She Road, in Chengdu, China, although navigating this area is challenging at best. If you get lost (and speak Chinese), you can try to call the number listed on the entrance sign: 18980083015.
- Hours: Dry Chili Chao Shou opens at 11:30 am and welcomes diners until it’s sold out of dumplings (typically by 8 pm). Hu recommends arriving by at least 7 pm to be safe.
- What to order: The most popular dumplings are the dry chili chao shou, but don’t miss the equally tasty stewed chicken with matsutake. The heat is turned way down on those, which helped me calm my mouth between spicy bites of the house favorite. Prices range from 12 RMB ($1.75) to 35 RMB ($5), depending on the dumpling style.
- Pro tip: If maps are not your strong suit — or you’d rather not line up before the restaurant opens — you can take a tour that makes a stop here. On the Lost Plate Food Tour, you’ll learn the ins and outs of Sichuan cooking while accessing under-the-radar restaurants and rooftops that even locals don’t know about.
