XIAO MI LA 小米辣 — DRIED ORGANIC
2025 Harvest · Certified Organic · No-Spray · Estate Grown Sebastopol, California USA
1oz kraft bag · $10 · Hot · 75,000 SHU

Small pepper. Serious heat. Intensely aromatic. Do not underestimate it.

Xiao Mi La — 小米辣 — means millet pepper, named for its small size. But what it lacks in size it compensates with heat, fragrance, and a distinctive bright aromatic character that larger chilies simply cannot replicate. At 75,000 Scoville units it is one of the three most commonly used peppers in Chinese cuisine alongside Er Jing Tiao and Chao Tian Jiao — and the one that brings the sharpest, most immediate heat of the three.

This is the chili in Ultimate Revenge.

Our Xiao Mi La goes directly into Pó Po's Ultimate Revenge — our hottest sauce — alongside our other farm-grown chilies. The extra Xiao Mi La is what separates Ultimate Revenge from Spicy Revenge. That heat is real and it starts here.

The character:

Hot, bright, and immediately aromatic with a distinctive sharp heat that builds fast. Native to Yunnan Province in southern China where it grows as a perennial shrub naturalized in the wild — Xiao Mi La is the chili of Yunnan and Guizhou mountain cooking, where heat is not a background note but the entire point. The fresh chili is also known in China as Thai Pepper for its similarity in heat and character to Southeast Asian bird's eye chilies. Dried, the heat concentrates and the aromatic quality intensifies.

Heat level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ Hot — 75,000 SHU
Comparable to cayenne at its upper range. Use with intention.

How to use it:

The classic Yunnan and Guizhou uses:

• Lazi Ji 辣子鸡 — dry-fried chili chicken — the dish that made Xiao Mi La famous. A mountain of dried whole Xiao Mi La in a wok with Sichuan peppercorn, buried underneath are crispy fried chicken pieces. Dig for them.

• Shangxin Ban Kongxincai — the famously hot Yunnan water spinach salad

• Mala Xiang Guo 麻辣香锅 — stir-fried hotpot cooked twice — Xiao Mi La is essential

Versatile uses:

• Add whole to chili oil for sharp, immediate heat alongside Er Jing Tiao's fragrance

• Grind into powder — the freshest Yunnan chili powder you will ever taste

• Chop finely into dipping sauces and condiments for heat without bulk

• Use sparingly in stir fries where you want heat to be the dominant note

• Combine with Er Jing Tiao in chili crisp — Er Jing Tiao for fragrance and color, Xiao Mi La for the heat that makes you keep reaching for the jar

• Rehydrate in warm water and use as a direct condiment the way Southeast Asian cooks use bird's eye chilies

A note on quantity: Xiao Mi La is intense. Start with less than you think you need. In classic Lazi Ji the ratio of chilies to chicken looks alarming — that's intentional — but you eat the chicken from among the chilies rather than eating the chilies themselves. Understand the chili first before committing fully.

2025 Harvest · Certified Organic · No-Spray · Non-GMO · 1oz · Sebastopol, California USA
Used in our Pó Po's Malà Hot Sauce — Ultimate Revenge
Also available in the Organic Dried Chili Set of 4 and Sunday at the Sebastopol Farmers Market