Szechuan-style (American menus): The older Wade-Giles spelling of Sichuan. On American-Chinese menus "Szechuan beef" or "Szechuan chicken" signals a spicy garlic-chili sauce with vegetables; on a Sichuan restaurant's menu the same word means the real thing, so expect Sichuan peppercorn and real heat. On this menu as: Sichuan Popcorn Chicken (Lunch) · Sichuan Crispy Fish (Lunch) · Sichuan Crispy Tofu (Lunch).
Tofu (bean curd): Pressed soybean curd, from custard-soft (for mapo tofu and soups) to firm (for stir-fries and braises). Fried tofu puffs soak up sauce; tofu skin (yuba) is the sheet lifted off simmering soy milk, rolled and braised or fried as a "vegetarian duck". On this menu as: Mapo Tofu w. Pork (Lunch) · Eggplant Tofu (Lunch) · Sichuan Crispy Tofu (Lunch).
Fried rice: Day-old rice stir-fried with egg, scallion and whatever the kitchen adds. Yangzhou (Yang Chow) style means shrimp, char siu and peas, and is the version most menus mean by "house special". Good fried rice is dry and separate-grained, never wet. On this menu as: Yan-Zhou Fried Rice · Combo Fried Rice · Vegetable Fried Rice.
Kung pao: Diced chicken (or shrimp, tofu) stir-fried with dried chilies, Sichuan peppercorns, scallion and peanuts in a sweet-sour-savory glaze. The Sichuan original is dark, tangy and numbing; the American-Chinese version tends to be sweeter, saucier and heavier on the vegetables. On this menu as: Kung Pao Chicken (Lunch) · Kung Pao Shrimp (Lunch) · Kung Pao Beef (Lunch).
Chow mein: Stir-fried egg noodles. Cantonese-style versions crisp the noodles into a pancake and pour the stir-fry over them; the softer, tossed-together style is more common on American-Chinese menus. Either way the name means "fried noodles". On this menu as: Combo Chow Mein · Vegetable Chow Mein · Pork Chow Mein.
Fish-fragrant (yu xiang): A Sichuan seasoning of pickled chili, garlic, ginger, scallion, sugar and vinegar, originally used for fish and now most famous on eggplant and shredded pork. There is no fish in it; "in garlic sauce" on American-Chinese menus is usually this flavor profile. On this menu as: Crispy Chicken in Hot Garlic Sauce (Lunch) · Shredded Pork w. Hot Garlic Sauce (Lunch) · Eggplant in Hot Garlic Sauce (Lunch).

How these dishes compare

Fried ricetypically $13.99 across 404 menus
Egg rolltypically $7.40 across 309 menus
Wontontypically $10 across 273 menus
Hot and sour souptypically $7.95 across 220 menus
Sweet and sourtypically $15.50 across 193 menus
Wonton souptypically $9.97 across 187 menus
Kung paotypically $16 across 181 menus
Fish-fragrant (yu xiang)typically $13.99 across 169 menus

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How these dishes compare

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