Pickled Fresh Chili

Chongqing’s summers are brutally hot. Every year, besides iced watermelon, mung bean soup and a variety of cold appetizers are what keep me alive. Summer is prime time for all different types of chilis. I have made lots of recipes featuring fresh summer chili peppers as the star of several dishes, including roasted chili garlic sauce, which can go on almost any steamed dish or simmered ribs and chicken. In this recipe, I love to introduce lovely, fresh, pickled summer chilis. It is a savory appetizer with a crispy texture and the freshness of chili. Spice lovers, you must try this one, as it captures the essence of summer’s taste and crunch. Or you can make it milder if you don’t want it too hot.

How to Choose Pepper

Choose younger and tender long green peppers. I used three types of chili peppers:

Erjingtiao gives the richest flavor, while the thread chilies offer the best texture. So you can stick with one type or any of your favorite fresh chilies for this recipe. Besides the chili pepper and some common liquid seasonings, I also pickle aromatics like ginger and garlic along with the pepper.

The remeaning shallots, green onion, garlic, and star anise are used to infuse the oil. They are optional. You can use Sichuan peppercorns only as the infuser. But adding aromatics can enrich the taste. In addition, if you have fermented black beans in your pantry, it is a lovely idea to add some to this summer pickle.

Step by Step

Remove the chili stems, wash them thoroughly, and let them air dry. Prepare the cutting board and knife; make sure there is absolutely no raw water on them —everything needs to be perfectly clean.

Cut the chili pepper into small circles. You can either pickle them in a bowl or in a glass container; make sure the container is clean, too. Add chopped garlic, ginger, and optionally some fermented dou-chi.

Now make the marinating sauce: add about 2 cups vegetable cooking oil, star anise, scallions, ginger, and shallots. Fry over medium heat until all the aromatics become dry and slightly browned. Remove all of the aromatics. Turn down the heat, then add Sichuan peppercorns, light soy sauce, salt, sugar, and black vinegar. Simmer until well combined.

Pour the sauce over the chili peppers. Mix well and set aside for 4 hours or overnight. I tried it at different stages. It’s super crunchy and flavorful after 4 hours. Overnight, it loses some crunch but gets way richer in taste. Choose what works best for you: make it in the morning for maximum crunch, or prep it before bed for deeper flavor.

What to Serve

There are lots of ways to enjoy this pickled chili pepper. You can use it as a side dish for all your summer meals. Or match it with steamed buns , noodles, or porridge.

Ingredients

• 500 g fresh chili pepper- your favorite type younger and tender ones
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 thumb ginger minced
• 1 tbsp douchi optional

Infused oil

• 2/3 cup oil
• 3 green onions
• 4 garlic cloves cut into halves
• 1 star anise
• 3 shallots cut into small pieces
• 1 tbsp. Sichuan peppercorn
• 1 tbsp. light soy sauce
• pinch of salt
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tbsp. black vinegar

Instructions

• Remove the chili stems, wash them thoroughly, and let them air dry.
• Prepare the cutting board and knife; make sure there is absolutely no raw water on them—everything needs to be perfectly clean.
• Cut the chili pepper into small circles.
• You can either pickle them in a bowl or in a glass container; make sure the container is clean, too. Add chopped garlic, ginger, and optionally some fermented dou-chi.
• Now let’s make the marinating sauce: add vegetable cooking oil, star anise, scallions, ginger, and shallots. Fry over medium heat until all the aromatics become dry and slightly browned. Remove all of the aromatics.
• Turn down the heat, then add Sichuan peppercorns, light soy sauce, salt, sugar, and black vinegar. Simmer for a while until well combined.
• Pour the sauce over the chili peppers. Mix well and set aside for 4 hours or overnight.