Hunan, Kung Pao, or Szechuan?

Question

Which one is beter?

Answer 1

1.Hunan

2.Schezwan

3.Kung pao

Answer 2

I love kung pao sauce, especially on cabbage.

Answer 3

I am a former chef and have had dishes from theose areas and styles of cooking all over, as the first fellow said some are hotter, some are earthier and a for the Szechuan cuisine on the whole it is not all spicy as most would believe.

They also tend to use different styles and types of chilis, Hunan use a darker musky type and generally in a paste like the Chili Garlic sauce used in Kung Po with whole chilis, Szechuan uses chilis, peppercorns and other hot spices to add a complex flavour to there dishes, and in Mongolian it is almost a combo of all 3 plus a few Indian spices.

Better is a truely personal judgement call, for me I love hot, and I love spicy, I have eaten all over and been to Thailand and worked in Singapore and Japan, so I know hot, if I had to choose, my preference would be Hunan, only because I prefer darker, smokier, complex heat and more meat than veg in my foods.

Answer 4

I would like to hear somebody from China that lives in Hunan or Szechuan answer this but if you live in the states most restaurants tend to group Hunan and Szechuan together.  

As another poster indicated Kung Pao is a dish (with peanuts)

My favorite Chinese cooking comes from those provinces.   My thoughts are that if my eyes aren't in tears at the end of the meal then there wasn't enough heat.

Answer 5

Personally, I like Kung Pao.  But I love peppers and spice.