Er Jing Tiao Chili

The er jing tiao is Sichuan's most-loved chili. It is used both fresh and dried, in both its green and red forms, in everything from stir-fries to braises to chili oil. These dried er jing tiao are 4 to 5 inches long, and soft and pliable—a sign of freshness and full flavor. 

Er jing tiao is prized for its deep-red color and robust fragrance and is frequently used as one of the chilis in chili oil for that reason. It has a fruity, mild-to-moderate heat.

Here is our chili lineup, in order 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.  

In its fresh form, er jing tiao is used to make fermented chili bean paste (doubanjiang) and pickled chilies for cooking. While it is nearly impossible to get fresh er jing tiao in the U.S., we have found that these freshly dried chilies rehydrate very well in the pickling jar to approximate the pickled chilies used in Sichuan. 

These chilies are grown in Guizhou Province, widely acknowledged as the premier chili producer in China. 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: 3.5 ounces (100 grams); 4 1/2 cups by volume

Ingredients: Single-origin, non-irradiated, dried chili. No additives, preservatives or dyes.