Every South East Asian country is known for street food. While most of them have similar snacks, there are always a couple of them that are unique to the country. In Vietnam, it was rice paper rolls. In Laos, it was roasted bananas. Who thought of roasting the humble banana?! Such a simple yet delicious...

The finished product looks like this. After being shallow fried, the tofu is sprinkled with chilli powder, salt and bits of finely chopped spring onions. Yes, it’s heavenly.

I know, I know I am posting food in a row and making your mouth water. But this is what I see everyday, in every corner of Chengdu! It’s difficult to resist food here, with so many choices. Chengdu has been rightly christened by the UNESCO as the City of Gastronomy. Here, you see tofu...

A healthier snack that can be found along the streets of Chengdu is water chestnuts. The sellers stand with knives hacking the skin off and they are sold without the peel, seen here in the bag. I buy a bagful and pop them into my mouth when I am studying or walking. They are also...

After stirring them over the flame for a few seconds, the potatoes are mixed with some spices and served. For 3 yuan ( less than a dollar) it’s a great snack to have while taking in the sights.

Who can resist stir-fried potatoes with some spices? This is a popular snack all over Chengdu. Here a woman stirs diced potatoes.

After Kuangzai I went to have some of my favorite cold noodles. These are the most common ingredients in cold noodles. Clockwise from above, MSG, vinegar, something similar to soy sauce, salt, chopped green spring onions, soy sauce, stir fried onion bits, chopped red chillies and a red chilli sauce. Spicyyy!! And extremely delicious!

I also visited another reconstructed ancient town named Kuangzai Xiangzi and I liked this much more than Jinli Jie. The streets here were filled with shops, food and drink just like Jinli but this place had a far better feel to it. This woman was selling popular “shou kou” or small snacks. Some are steamed,...

Sweet potato vendors are also quite popular. Having this hot, steaming snack in freezing weather is a great feeling. And for me, a vegetarian, there is nothing better than this.