Facing Heaven Chilli
Capsicum annuum 'Chao Tian Jiao' · Chilli pepper
Top 10 pairings
The facing heaven chilli (chao tian jiao, 朝天椒) is a short, plump, upward-pointing Sichuan chile named for the way its pods grow skyward on the plant. Moderate in heat and unusually aromatic, it is the signature dried chile of Chongqing and Sichuan cooking, prized for a fragrant, faintly fruity-smoky flavour that carries chilli oil, mapo tofu and the fiery dry-fried dishes of the region.
Picking a good onedrag
UnderripeOverripe
Red ripePeakIt's sweetest and hottest now. Roast it, make chilli oil or sauce, or string it to dry.
ColourFully turned, bright even red
The pressFirm, springs straight back
Cap and stalkCap green and tight, stalk firming
Smell at the capWarm and fruity over the green
These cues are Chilli's, and hold across its varieties; where this one differs, its own page says so.
What you get from one
73%
Edible part
45 g · fresh pod, stem and seeds out
62 g
Weight each
each one
Keeping ittap a temperature
Below 7 °C the skin pits and the cap moulds: in two weeks at 5 °C, in days at 0 °C.
90-95%
Humidity
Loosely bagged
Airflow