SICHUAN CHILI PEPPER (ER JING TIAO CROSS) — DRIED ORGANIC
2025 Harvest · Certified Organic · No-Spray · Estate Grown Sebastopol, California USA
1oz kraft bag · $10 · Medium to Hot

This is the everyday workhorse of our chili garden — and the one that does the heavy lifting when you need heat alongside fragrance.

Our Sichuan Chili is an Er Jing Tiao cross — a variety that carries the lineage of its Er Jing Tiao parent while developing its own distinct character. Where pure Er Jing Tiao is celebrated for its fruity fragrance and moderate heat, this cross shifts the balance: more heat, less fruit, a lighter red color, and a more assertive chili presence in the finished dish.

Think of Er Jing Tiao as the aromatic foundation and this cross as the heat amplifier. Used together — as we use them in our Pó Po's Malà Hot Sauce — they create the layered chili complexity that serious Sichuan cooking requires.

The character:

Medium to hot heat with a cleaner, more direct chili flavor than Er Jing Tiao. The fragrance is present but less pronounced — this variety is built for heat delivery alongside its Er Jing Tiao sibling rather than as a solo aromatic. The color is a lighter red than Er Jing Tiao. The heat builds steadily rather than hitting immediately.

Heat level: 🌶️🌶️ Medium to Hot

How to use it:

• Chili oil and chili crisp — blend with Er Jing Tiao for a more complex, layered oil

• Doubanjiang — use alongside Er Jing Tiao for additional heat depth

• Hot pot — the heat backbone of a mala broth

• Pickled chilies — pào làjiāo 泡辣椒 — this variety holds its texture beautifully in fermentation

• Sichuan cuisine dishes — Mapo Tofu, Lazi Ji, Shuizhu Yu — anywhere the dish calls for whole dried red chilies

• Chili flakes — grind for a medium-hot finishing spice with genuine Sichuan character

• Stir fries and soups — chop and add directly for heat with a clean chili flavor

The combination to know: Equal parts Er Jing Tiao and this Sichuan cross, bloomed together with Sichuan peppercorn — this is the base that goes into our Popo’s mala hot sauce. Replicate it at home for the most authentic result.

2025 Harvest · Certified Organic · No-Spray · Non-GMO · 1oz · Sebastopol, California
Also available in the Organic Dried Chili Set of 4 and at the Sebastopol Farmers Market