Guizhou Tiao Zi Jiao Chili
$13
We have long carried the most popular chilies used in Sichuan cooking, which are all grown in the neighboring province of Guizhou, China's chili capital. When we asked the expert chili brokers in Guizhou what new chili we should add to our offerings, they recommended the locally loved tiao zi jiao from Zunyi.
Taio zi jiao is widely used in Guizhou cuisine (Qian cai) for both cooking and making Guizhou's famed chili crisps, dipping chilies and hulajiao, or scorched black chilies.
While chilies grown in the Huaxi district of Guiyang are also famous in Guizhou, tiao zi jiao are similar in heat level—though maybe a tad spicier—and make a fine substitute for making the ciba lajiao chili paste that's used in Guizou laziji.
On the spectrum of Chinese chilies, tiao zi jiao are medium to hot, slightly longer and milder than the Sichuan workhorse chili zi dan tou.
Here is our lineup, which ranges from mildly hot to very hot (if you're looking for super or explosively hot, shop for Thai or Indian chilies):
- Xinjiang zong jiao (wrinkled chili)
- Er jing tiao
- Deng long jiao (lantern chili)
- Guizhou tiao zi jiao
- Facing heaven zi dan tou
- Xiao mi la
The Chinese prize the fragrance and coloring ability of chilies as much as the heat, so cooks tend to combine chilies in order to draw from the best qualities of each and create distinct flavor profiles. Er jing tiao, deng long jiao and zi dan tou have the most pigment and strongest coloring ability for making chili oil.
These dried tiao zi jiao are 3 to 4 inches long, and soft and pliable—a sign of freshness and full flavor. They are sun-dried by the farmers then further dried, cleaned and tested by our supplier in Chengdu to meet international safety standards. Our chilies are always from the most recent harvest, and we store them in their wholesale packaging to maintain freshness until we hand-package them for each week's sales.
Store in a dark pantry, or freeze for long-term storage.
Source: Guizhou Province
Size: 4 ounces (115 grams); 4 1/2 cups by volume
Ingredients: Single-origin, non-irradiated, dried chili. No additives, preservatives or dyes.