19 Types of Chili Peppers and Their Functions and Characteristics

Chili is widely used in the food industry. To make good food, it is necessary to deeply understand the functions and characteristics of various chili peppers.

1

The chili pepper of Erjing is moderately spicy, with a particularly good aroma, thin skin, thick flesh and few seeds, bright red in color and crisp in texture. The three main uses of fresh Erjing pepper are: one is to process spicy peppers and Pixian Douban; two is to cook spicy and flavorful dishes and salads; the main uses of dried Erjing pepper are: one is to make red oil, two is to make chili powder.2

There are two colors, green and red, mostly fresh peppers used in dishes, and very few dried peppers. The spiciness of the beauty pepper is relatively low, with a slightly sweet aftertaste, thick skin and thick flesh, and very few seeds. Its red pigment content is extremely high, so the color is extremely bright. Fresh beauty pepper is usually a 'supporting actor', generally paired with green peppers to play a supporting role, so it is a 'golden supporting actor' in chili peppers.

3

Seven-star peppers have color, aroma and flavor, small fruits, thin skin, high oil content and extremely high spiciness. Because of its extremely high spiciness, fresh seven-star peppers are rarely used directly in dishes or paired with other fresh peppers. Dried seven-star peppers – due to their intense spiciness and persistent base flavor, they are often used to make spicy hot pot, or to make chili oil or spicy pot dishes. In addition, they can be used to make dry-fried, dry-cooked and chili-style dishes. Seven-star pepper powder is fine and easy to be scorched, and the fragrance is not obvious, so it is rarely used in cooking, but it is widely used in grilling, especially grilling lamb skewers, vegetable skewers and seafood.

4

Compared to bullet head pepper and Erjing pepper, is more prominent in spiciness. Both fresh and dried are widely used by Sichuan chefs. Fresh – Sichuan is mainly used in cooking in two ways: one is to wash fresh, put it in a blender to beat, filter out the chili water, mainly used for making cold dishes such as sour and spicy. Two is to cut fresh into pieces and directly mix it with cold dishes or other dishes.

5

The fruit is small, the skin is thin, the seeds are many, the pepper is very strong, and the color is not very bright. Currently, most regions in China cultivate it. Sichuan chefs often use dried in dishes. It is suitable for making stir-fried,, sautéed and spicy dishes such as Singer Mountain Spicy Chicken, it can also be used as a final seasoning for dishes, but it is rarely used to make chili sauce, chili powder or chili oil.

6

Its flesh is thin and the seeds are few, the spiciness is not high, but compared to other peppers, it has two advantages: one is that it hardly changes color when heated, and two is that the pepper flavor is more concentrated. In Sichuan, fresh line peppers are almost only used to make dishes, dried line peppers are almost not used by Sichuan chefs. Because its spiciness is not high, it is usually used to make spicy seafood dishes such as live conch and small clams, and the finished dish only has the aroma of chili peppers, so it will not overwhelm the aroma of seafood.

7

The fruit is small, the spiciness is concentrated, the texture is crisp and translucent, and the color is particularly bright red. Fresh bullet head pepper can be used to make spicy pepper series dishes, and can also be used to make red soup. Sichuan chefs basically use dried bullet head pepper. Dried bullet head pepper is mainly used to make various spicy dishes, it is most suitable for making Gongbao Chicken, water boiled chicken, sautéed dishes and spicy hot pot dishes. In addition to cooking directly, dried bullet head pepper can also be used to make chili powder and red oil.

8

There are two colors, green and red, both used as fresh peppers. It has a large head, thick skin, thick flesh and few seeds, and is not very spicy. Fresh horned pepper is mainly used to make two types of dishes: one is tiger skin green pepper, and the other is stuffed pepper, which is to cut horned peppers in half and stuff meat or fish glue into them, first fry and then sauté.

9

It has a rich aroma, a fierce spiciness and a high price. It is generally cut into segments and used to make very spicy dishes. It is also often cut into pieces to make Thai sour and spicy sauce. Using Thai pepper to make a home-style version of braised pork belly is surprisingly good, everyone can try it.

10

It is produced only in Yunnan. Compared with other chili varieties, its pale green color, crisp texture and wrinkled skin are its characteristics. The spiciness of the wrinkled pepper is not high, its biggest characteristic is that it still has a crisp and fragrant pepper aroma after a long time of heating. It is generally paired with fungi or cured meat to make dishes. The flesh of the wrinkled pepper is relatively thick, so its ripening time is longer than other peppers. When cooking, you need to pay attention to two details: one is that wrinkled pepper cannot be added with salt when cooked, otherwise it will soften due to water loss. Two is that you must use pork lard or chicken oil to cook it until it is half cooked, then put the remaining ingredients in.

11

It is a hybrid pepper produced in Yunnan, Hunan and Shaanxi, but the appearance varies depending on the origin. Its color is mostly green or dark green, the shape is long and twisted, the texture is crisp and refreshing. Fresh snail pepper is usually used to make various red meat dishes such as chicken chunks and pork belly. The most famous spicy chicken in Lingyi, Linzhou, is mainly used.

12

It is bright red, thick flesh, abundant juice, few seeds and extremely spicy. It is mainly used to make hot pot bottom, it can also be used to make chili sauce.

13

The fruit skin and flesh are thick, the color is bright red, the spiciness is high, the flesh is tough and does not break even after long cooking. It is selected based on its small and uniform shape, smooth surface, deep red color and dry appearance. It is mainly used to make hot pot.

14

The spiciness and color belong to the medium grade, its biggest advantage is that it is not easy to form a soup when heated for a long time, its disadvantage is that the color is slightly dark red. It is mainly used to make hot pot bottom.

15

It is bright red, thick flesh, few seeds, spicy and inexpensive. It is mainly used to make hot pot bottom.

16

High-quality Indian pepper is very spicy, even more spicy than seven-star peppers. Its disadvantage is that this pepper is not resistant to cooking, and it will easily form a soup if it is heated for too long. Currently, there are few high-quality Indian peppers available in Sichuan's spice market, mostly medium-grade and affordable.

17

The fruit has a short horn-shaped tip, the fruit length is 4 cm-6 cm, the skin and flesh are thick, the color is bright red, it is resistant to cooking and does not break even after long cooking. It can be used 2-3 times, saving cost and not reducing spiciness. It is mainly used to make fragrant chili sauce.

18

has the characteristics of small fruit, many flesh, bright color, spicy skin and fragrant seeds. Compared with other chili varieties, its characteristic is that it contains a lot of oil on the skin, so its aroma is particularly rich. Fresh is mainly used to sauté meat and mushrooms, and can also be used to make dry-fried dishes. The main use of dried is to make finished sauces, pickled pickled vegetables, and make chili rings, and used as dipping sauces.

19

is known as 'Golden Lantern Pepper' because its fruit is golden and lantern-shaped. It is a popular ingredient in Sichuan cuisine. It is used in many dishes such as 'Sour and Spicy Fish Head' and 'Sour and Spicy Beef'.

19

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