Lazi Ji (Chongqing Chili Chicken)

Lazi ji is made by marinating diced chicken, frying it crisp, then stir-frying it with great heaps of dried chili, Sichuan pepper, ginger, and garlic, the chilies glossy red, the chicken seared and fragrant, dry, numbing, and spicy, more flavorful the more you chew, one of the signatures of the region's jianghu cuisine.

A traditional famed dish of Sichuan and Chongqing, the lazi ji of the Gele Mountain area is especially renowned, said to have taken shape in local farmhouse eateries in the 1980s, standing out for its lavish use of chili and its dry, fragrant numbing heat.

Served with the chicken half-buried in chilies, it invites diners to dig through the pile for the morsels, part of its fun; crisp and fragrant, it is usually a hearty, generous dish to go with drinks and rice.

A good rendition calls for chicken that is crisp outside and tender within, chili that is fiery without scorching, and a dry, fragrant numbing heat worked into every bite.