Brave New World of Food

My new Szechuan cookbook, Land of Plenty, arrived yesterday, so today I did a little reading, followed by a little shopping.

With few exceptions, the list of pantry staples for Szechuan cooking consists of things I've never heard of. I roamed the spice, sauce, and condiment aisles of Fubonn peering at cans, jars and packets. I came home with perhaps three-quarters of the things on the list, many of them involving chiles in various states of ferment or desiccation.

Here's my plan: find five recipes that together would compose a full meal (whatever the Szechuan version of "from soup to nuts" is) , then systematically learn how to make each one--preferably with taste-testin' friends and family to help me hone my skills.

So, a poll.

[Poll #1016904]