Taste of Sichuan

04/06/2026

General Tso's chicken is a widely recognized and popular Chinese dish in the US. If you ask for it in China, you would likely get a blank stare. General Tso's Chicken consists of battered, crispy chicken pieces—typically boneless dark meat like thighs—tossed in a thick, sticky glaze. The dish's history is a blend of traditional roots and modern adaptation. It is named after Zuo Zongtang (1812–1885), a famous Qing dynasty general from Hunan province. Despite the name, there is no evidence the general ever ate the dish; it was named in his honor nearly a century after his death.
The Inventor: Chef Peng Chang-kuei is widely credited with creating the original version in Taiwan during the 1950s. His version was traditionally Hunanese—heavy, sour, and spicy, with no sugar.
Americanization: The dish was introduced to New York City in the 1970s. Chef T.T. Wang is often credited with modifying Peng’s recipe by adding sugar and a crispier batter to better suit American palates. It's debatable whether that addition was a good thing. :o)

03/31/2026

🌸 Spring is here! 🌸
While nothing signifies the season quite like Easter eggs, have you ever wondered if Easter is celebrated in China?
In mainland China, Easter isn't a public holiday (except in Hong Kong or among specific religious groups). However, this time of year is home to the beautiful Qingming Festival, also known as Tomb-Sweeping Day.
Like Easter, Qingming is a unique blend of solemn remembrance and joyful spring activities—and of course, special seasonal foods! 🥟🌱
While families visit gravesites to honor their ancestors with tea and favorite dishes, they also celebrate the new season with:
🟢 Qingtuan (Green Rice Balls): These iconic sweet treats are made from glutinous rice mixed with mugwort or barley grass juice, giving them a vibrant green color. They are usually stuffed with sweet red bean paste or savory fillings.
🥣 Peach Blossom Porridge: A delicate, floral-infused sweet porridge that celebrates the first blooms of the year.
🪁 Kite Flying & Spring Outings: Families head outdoors to enjoy the blossoms and fly kites, often cutting the string to "let go" of bad luck.
Whether you are celebrating with Easter Egg Hunting or enjoying Spring Rice Balls, we wish all our customers and their families a joyful, delicious spring season! 🐣✨
Happy Easter Egg Hunt from Taste of Sichuan!

Photo Credit: The Woks of Life
Check out their amazing recipe here: https://thewoksoflife.com/qingtuan-mugwort-mochi/

03/18/2026

Five is an important number in Asian culture. There are the five elements: water, fire, wood, metal, and earth which lend their names to the planets (e.g. Venus is the "Gold planet" in both Chinese and Japanese). In Chinese cooking, you will find "Five Spice" or "Five Flavor" commonly on menus such as ours. The five flavors are based on the following spices: 1. Star anise 2. Fennel seeds 3. Sichuan peppercorn 4. Cloves and 5. Chinese cinnamon. Each ingredient adds its own flavor profile. The goal is harmony. It’s meant to ensure no single flavor overpowers the dish. It hits sweet, sour, bitter, pungent, and salty all at once.
Did you know that until 2005, Sichuan peppercorns couldn't be imported to the US? There was an almost 40 year ban. The reason wasn't the spiciness but concern about citrus canker, a bacterial disease that could devastate the U.S. citrus industry. Since Sichuan peppercorns are technically dried berries from a tree in the citrus family, they were considered potential carriers.

Perhaps, give our Five Flavor Bean Curd from the Appetizer menu a try. It's a dish served at room temperature. The firm tofu acts like a sponge and soaks up the flavors whereby the cinnamon and star anise notes stand out.

We also updated our website to post to times for last seating and last takeout: https://tasteofsichuan.com/contact-us/

03/08/2026

Today, we wanted to share a low-key post about a part of the restaurant industry that has changed drastically over the last decade: Reviews.
Specifically, the "review services" that reach out to us almost daily. Once upon a time, this was called "Reputation Management." Today, it is often companies offering to post fake positive reviews or promising to delete negative ones.
To be honest, we aren't even sure how they claim to "delete" bad ones—but we know it’s a big "no-no."
Encouraging diners to share their experience is great, but faking a reputation is another thing entirely. If a restaurant has a problem, covering it up with 10 fake 5-star reviews doesn't make that problem go away; it just ignores the customer.
It’s easy to see why a new or struggling restaurant might feel pressured to take those steps. Clearly, someone is using these services, otherwise they wouldn't be hitting our inbox every single day.
At Taste of Sichuan, we encourage you to post both your good and your "not-so-good" experiences. The first category makes our team happy; the second encourages us to work harder and address problems where they arise.
Thank you to everyone who takes the time to write an honest review!

02/23/2026

After an incredibly busy Lunar New Year, we wanted to take a moment to introduce the magician behind our beloved dumplings! 🥟✨
Meet Xue Hai Li. He has been a vital part of the Taste of Sichuan family for 10 years. We did a little Q&A with him that we think you’ll find as interesting as we did:

1. At what age did you make your first dumpling?
At the age of 20.
2. What’s your earliest memory of eating dumplings or noodles? Was it a family tradition?
From early childhood. It was a big family tradition!
3. Can you guess how many dumplings you’ve made in your life?
Several hundred thousand.
4. Where were you born?
Hebei Province, China.
5. What is your favorite kind of dumpling?
The ones filled with cabbage and pork.
6. What’s the secret to making a wrapper thin enough to see through, but strong enough not to break?
It's a secret! :o))
7. What is your favorite dipping sauce?
Sweet bean sauce.
8. If you could only eat one for the rest of your life—soup dumplings or chow mein—which one are you picking?
Dumplings, definitely.
9. What’s the most important thing to get right when making Chow Mein?
The dough.
10. What is your wish for the Lunar New Year?
Good health for everyone.

02/15/2026

"It's the holiday season all over again! 🧧 Between Valentine's Day, President's Day, and the Lunar New Year, we hope that after stuffing your loved ones with chocolates and dinner, you still have room for Chinese food! 😊
2026 is the Year of the Fire Horse. It's a rare 'Double Fire' year, occurring when the element of the zodiac sign (Fire) coincides with the element of the year (Fire)—a combination that only happens once every 60 years! 🔥🔥
This year's 15-day celebration is uniquely bookended by two celestial events:
🌑 Feb 17 (Day 1): An annular solar eclipse opens the New Year.
🌕 March 3 (Day 15): A total lunar 'Blood Moon' eclipse closes the celebration window on the Lantern Festival.
The holiday triggers the largest human migration on Earth, with an estimated 9.5 billion trips taken as families reunite. We are honored to host many of your reunions! Please note: We are now fully booked for both Monday (New Year's Eve) and Tuesday evening.
Don't forget to eat your traditional symbolic foods:
🐟 Fish: Left partially uneaten to ensure a 'surplus' of wealth.
🥟 Dumplings: To bring in prosperity.
🥮 Nian Gao: Sticky rice cakes to help you 'rise higher' this year.
Local Celebrations in the Area:
📍 Lan Su Chinese Garden Lantern Viewing (https://lansugarden.org): Wed–Sun, Feb 18 – March 1.
📍 Beaverton Uwajimaya Lion Dance: Saturday, Feb 21 @ 1:00 p.m.
📍 Vietnamese Tết Festival (https://pdxparent.com/event-single/vietnamese-american-lunar-new-year-festival/): Saturday, Feb 21 @ 11:00 a.m.
📍 Chinese New Year Cultural Fair (https://www.oregoncc.org/attend/events/2026/02/chinese-new-year-cultural-fair-2026): Saturday, Feb 28, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
📍 Washington Square Celebration (https://www.shopwashingtonsquare.com/Events/Details/576951, Tigard/Beaverton): Saturday, Feb 28, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
📍 Lotus & Lion Festival (https://dopdx.com/events/2026/3/3/lotus-lion-a-festival-of-music-and-dance-tickets, Beaverton): Tuesday, March 3 @ 7:30 p.m.
📍 10th Annual Dragon Dance Parade (https://www.portlandchinatownmuseum.org/events/10th-annual-lunar-new-year-dragon-dance-and-celebration/, Portland): Saturday, March 7, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m."

02/08/2026

In February of 2017, Yelp acquired the Pittsburgh-based startup Nowait. Why would I care, you say? Because this acquisition allows us to further refine our guest experience.
We are pleased to share that we are currently integrating Yelp Guest Manager to improve our arrival process. We are currently awaiting the shipment of our new digital kiosk, which will allow walk-in guests to join our waitlist and receive a text notification the moment their table is ready.
This system is designed to provide you more freedom—allowing you to wait in your car or nearby rather than in our entrance area—while freeing up our staff to focus on our guests' needs once seated.
Please note:

Waitlist: This is for guests arriving for immediate seating.
Advance Reservations: For parties of seven or more, we continue to accept advance bookings via telephone or email.

While we are sorry to remove the feeling of victory from having successfully elbowed your way to the cashier, we still think a hassle-free check-in experience is the better way to go. 🙂

02/01/2026

A fairly quiet week ahead the soon upcoming Lunar New Year. However, we spotted that Community Votes Beaverton (https://beaverton.communityvotes.com/2026/01) has opened up nominations for about any conceivable category out there. We encourage you to support your favorite businesses by nominating them so that in April the vote tallying can begin. We hope that we worked hard enough to earn your vote. If not, we will keep trying harder!

Official 2026 Community Voting Awards Platform for Beaverton, OR. Where the community votes for their favorites every year.

01/27/2026

Headline: We are officially back in the groove! 🥠
It took a few extra days, but our online ordering is finally up and running as of last Friday! So far, everything has been smooth sailing without a single hiccup. After a wild three months of reopening and a busy holiday period, it feels great to be back to a state of normalcy.
Though we’ll have less "breaking news" moving forward, we’re still trying to post regularly. Today, let’s talk about the Fortune Cookie.
Did you know that fortune cookies are not a Chinese tradition? They actually came to the U.S. via Japan! Their ancestor is a 19th-century Japanese cracker called tsujiura senbei. These original versions were larger, darker, and flavored with savory miso and sesame rather than the modern vanilla and butter we use today.
Japanese immigrants brought the cookies to California in the early 20th century, where they were first sold in San Francisco. During WWII, when many Japanese bakeries were forced to close due to internment, Chinese businessmen took over production—and the "Chinese connection" was born.
While the originals were all handmade, today’s production is highly automated, with about 3 billion cookies produced worldwide every year!
It’s funny how different "traditions" pop up in different countries. For example, in Germany, Chinese restaurants often serve a complimentary plum liquor after the meal as a token of appreciation (Yummy!). Unfortunately, that doesn't fly here in the U.S. as it would land us in hot water!
What’s the best (or weirdest) fortune you’ve ever received in a cookie? Let us know in the comments! 👇

01/18/2026

More exciting news for your week ahead! 🍕
We have three major updates to share:

Mondays are back! Starting tomorrow, we’ll be open on Mondays again.
Online ordering is planned to resume on Tuesday. Skip the busy signal! We’re bringing online ordering back to make your life easier, especially for folks that cannot be in crowded settings. We’ll be monitoring it closely to ensure that the kitchen can handle the volume.
Gift cards are officially back in stock! (Pictured below!) 🎁 You can purchase them in-person at the restaurant or over the phone.

⚠️ A quick note on security: Every time, we run ads, we’ve seen a spike in phishing scams. Scammers use the public Meta Ad Library to target active businesses with fake emails. We encourage all our fellow local business owners to stay alert and look out for suspicious links!

01/12/2026

"BIG NEWS! 🎉 Our kitchen is able to breathe again after the holiday rush, and we’re ready to expand our hours.
✅ Mondays are BACK! Starting Monday, January 19th, we’ll be open to serve you. Thank you for sticking with us through the busy reopening rush!
✅ Cheers! We officially received our liquor license on Thursday! 🥂 Now you can pair your favorite dinner with a drink.
📲 Coming Soon: Online ordering is next on our list to make your experience even better. See you soon!"

"Another dish we like to highlight is 'Ants Climbing a Tree' (蚂蚁上树).
🥢 The Name: In Chinese, it's Mǎyǐ shàngshù (Mǎyǐ = Ants, shàng = climbing, shù = tree). It is a classic Sichuan comfort dish made of spicy, savory glass noodles stir-fried with finely minced meat. Despite its name, we promise there are no actual insects involved! 😅
The name is a poetic description of the dish:

The Ants: Tiny bits of finely minced pork (or beef) that cling to the noodles.
The Tree: Strands of translucent glass noodles (mung bean vermicelli) representing branches.
The Leaves: Fresh chopped green scallions used as a garnish.

📜 The Legend: Story has it that the dish originated in the Yuan Dynasty when a woman named Dou E cooked it for her mother-in-law. With only a tiny piece of pork to spare, she minced it finely to stretch the meal. Her mother-in-law, whose eyesight was failing, thought the little bits of meat were ants—and the name stuck!
It’s a beloved homestyle favorite that pairs perfectly with steamed rice, though many of us (myself included!) love eating it all on its own. 😋"

01/05/2026

"2026 has started exactly how 2025 ended: busy! 🥂 Our tables are filling up fast and our phones are ringing non-stop. While we’ve been able to pick up the phone more often lately, we know you’re looking for easier options. Our goal is to transition back to online ordering after Lunar New Year (February 17) to make the process more convenient for everyone. We are working with our vendor to ensure we can better manage order volume during peak times.
We also want to share a quick tip on the 'Asian dining style.' Traditionally, our dishes are designed to be shared—hence the 'Lazy Susan' at many tables (like the one pictured below!). In Western dining, guests often expect all individual entrees to arrive simultaneously. However, because our kitchen is station-based, one dish might take longer than others if that specific station is backed up.
By the way, do you know where the term "Lazy Susan" comes from? While rotating tables existed for centuries, the origin of the name is murky. In the 18th century, "Susan" was a common, generic name for housemaids. The name "lazy Susan" likely mocked the perceived laziness of servants while highlighting the device's ability to "wait" on a table silently. Another theory pointed to an ad for a mahogany revolving server in "Vanity Fair in 1917: "$8.50 forever seems an impossibly low wage for a good servant; and yet here you are; Lazy Susan, the cleverest waitress in the world, at your service!"
Regardless of the name's origin, we encourage you to try the traditional approach: share the dishes as they arrive! It allows for more flavors, a better flow of food, and a more authentic culinary experience. Adopting this style actually allows our kitchen to cook more dishes for you efficiently."