In Chengdu the wet market and the breakfast stall are the same institution. A covered hall of vegetable, pork, fish and tofu stalls has, along its front and in the lanes around it, a row of small kitchens selling hot food from half past five in the morning: noodle shops, bun steamers, griddle stalls, congee pots and soybean milk. Workers, market traders and people on their way to the office eat there standing or perched on low stools, and the whole thing is over by about nine.
What to order
Start with noodles. Sichuan's morning noodles are small bowls rather than large ones, and the classic Chengdu version is dressed with sesame paste, soy, chilli oil, ground pork and preserved vegetables, with the sauce at the bottom and the noodles on top so that you mix it yourself. The griddle stalls sell guokui, a layered wheat bread, either plain, filled with minced pork, or split and stuffed; and there are egg pancakes cooked in small copper pans, thin and slightly sweet, eaten folded. Steamed buns come in pork, vegetable and red bean versions, and there is always a pot of soy milk, hot and unsweetened or sweetened to order. Rice rolls, congee with pickles, and cold dressed noodles round out the menu depending on the stall.
How it works
Choose a stall, order at the counter, pay by phone, and take a number or wait at the side; noodle shops turn a bowl in about two minutes. Prices are low enough that a full breakfast often costs less than a coffee in a cafe. Hygiene varies and the reliable signal is turnover: a stall with a queue is selling its stock fast, which is what matters with noodles, buns and griddle breads. Add a cup of tea from the shop next door and you have the local morning.
Practical notes
The best hours are from six to eight; by nine the vegetables are picked over and the busiest breakfast stalls are closing. Menus are in Chinese, so photograph the stall and point, or learn the two or three words for what you want. Do not expect seating, and do not be surprised by the volume of the market at that hour. Most neighbourhoods have a market within a few minutes' walk, and it is more interesting than any of the city's food streets, which are aimed at visitors and open in the evening.
