Pickled and Fried Chili Paste

Pickled and Fried Chili Paste

　　In the homes of ordinary people in the Tujia mountain villages, there is a beloved staple dish that housewives always keep on hand: pickled and fried chili paste. This dish can be found on the dining tables of nearly every household, loved by men, women, old and young alike, and never grows tiresome. There are many ways to prepare chili dishes—stir-frying, braising, pickling, frying, or grinding. Pickled and fried chili paste is arguably an essential condiment in every home, offering a tangy and delicious taste. It can be stir-fried dry or used to make soup. The basic method involves finely chopping red chilies, mixing them with cornmeal, packing the mixture tightly into a fermentation jar layer by layer, then covering the surface with tung leaves or plastic wrap, securing it with bamboo strips, and inverting the jar into a basin of saltwater. After about a month, it’s ready. When you want to eat it, simply scoop some out, steam or stir-fry it, and season with oil and salt. You can also stir-fry it with chopped vegetables and water to make a soup. It’s especially popular when making steamed meat dishes, often mixed with pork and stir-fried. Stir-fried cured pork with pickled chili paste is considered a unique delicacy of the Tujia cuisine.

　　 The Tujia people in the Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture have a particular fondness for sour and spicy flavors. As the local saying goes, “If you go three days without sour or spicy food, your heart feels like it’s being scratched by a cat.” Pickled and fried chili paste was created in this context and has remained enduringly popular in the Enshi region.

　　 Pickled and Fried Chili Paste, also known as pickled chili, is made primarily from fresh red chilies and cornmeal (maize flour) sourced locally in Enshi. The specific preparation process is as follows: fresh red chilies are stemmed, washed, and drained, then finely chopped using a cleaver. Salt is added and mixed evenly, followed by cornmeal (some recipes also include seasonings like Sichuan peppercorns or tangerine peel). The mixture is placed into a clean fermentation jar, covered with vegetable leaves, and then pressed tightly with bamboo strips. The jar is inverted and placed in a basin with water (referred to as “inverted water sealing”). This method uses gravity to seal the jar tightly, ensuring an effective seal, controlled moisture absorption, and creating anaerobic fermentation conditions that enhance the rich and fragrant flavor of the final product. For smaller batches, a regular water-sealed fermentation jar—with a rim to hold water—can also be used. The jar is placed upright with water in the rim groove, covered, and sealed. However, chili paste made in this type of jar should not be stored for too long, as internal pressure may push the lid open, letting air in, or excessive moisture absorption may cause the paste to thin out and lose flavor. Once the chili mixture is packed into the jar, it is left to ferment fully for about three weeks before it can be taken out for cooking. Typically, it is roasted in a pan and then stir-fried with Tujia cured pork, or used as a base layer for steamed dishes. The finished product has a slight reddish hue and a uniquely tangy and spicy flavor. It is also used as a base or accompaniment for steamed or braised pork dishes, resulting in meat that is less greasy, refreshing, and easy to digest. Some even mix it with cornmeal to make a porridge called pickled chili paste porridge.

　　 When selecting chilies, it’s best to use those harvested after the White Dew period in the lunar calendar, as they yield the best flavor; otherwise, the taste may turn out too sour. For cornmeal, the small yellow maize from Enshi is ideal. In addition to cornmeal, a small number of recipes also use glutinous rice flour. Once the pickled chili paste is placed in the jar, it’s essential to ensure there is water in the basin. With good sealing, it can be preserved for several years without spoiling.

　　 Nowadays, the production of pickled chili paste is no longer limited to home kitchens. Specialized food companies produce it using modern technology such as vacuum packaging, making it convenient to transport so that people around the world can enjoy it.