The spicy dishes in Sichuan and Chongqing often incorporate a mix of peppers, spices and sauces to create layers of flavor.
For example, the Sichuan-style chili oil is made by pouring hot oil, already seasoned with dried peppercorns, ginger, garlic and green onion into ground dried chili pepper, sesame seeds and fried peanuts. A variety of chili peppers are used to enrich the flavors, including the medium-hot "heaven facing pepper" and the very spicy capsicum frutescens from Yunnan Province.
The most famous spicy condiment from Sichuan is the Pixian doubanjiang (fermented broad bean sauce) originated from the county of Pixian.
It's considered the soul of Sichuan cuisine and one of the few food products listed as national intangible cultural heritage.
Chen Shouxin, who lived during the reign of Emperor Xianfeng in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), was credited as the creator of the Pixian doubanjiang, who improved the secret recipe handed down in his family to make the iconic condiment.
Located in northwest of Chengdu, Pixian County has favorable natural conditions to grow broad beans and chili peppers as well as making high-quality sauce. The humid subtropical climate also plays an important role in the natural fermentation process of brewing the sauce.
The ingredients required to make Pixian doubanjiang include fermented broad beans, soybeans, rice, flour and the erjingtiao chili pepper. Full of intense flavors, this sauce is used in a variety of Sichuan dishes including mapo tofu and huiguorou, or the double cooked pork slices.
In Pixian, there is also a Sichuan Cuisine Museum, located in the Ande Township, that celebrates the regional culinary culture, especially Pixian doubanjiang.
On the Mala Market (themalamarket.com), a US-based online shopping site of Chinese spices, sauces and pickles, a packet of Pixian doubanjiang (454 grams) retails for US$10.
Hunan: Duojiao
Though Sichuan is hailed as the home of spicy cuisine, the Hunan people can actually tolerate seriously spicy foods that would scare people from other provinces.
A large amount of fresh and dried chili peppers are used in Hunan cuisine, which is especially known for the duojiao chili sauce.
Duojiao, which means chopped chili in Chinese, is a pickled chili sauce that can be eaten directly as a side or added to various dishes. It's made from very small, hot fresh chili peppers diced with garlic and ginger, and then seasoned with salt and white distilled liquor before sealing in jars to pickle for a few days.
One of the most famous duojiao dishes in Hunan cuisine is fish head steamed with duojiao, a very spicy and salty dish best prepared with big-head carp. Sometimes both red and yellow colored duojiao is used to create more vibrant presentation.
Guizhou: Lao Gan Ma
Guizhou is the home of the most famous Chinese chili condiment — Lao Gan Ma, or "the Godmother." Tao Huabi created the brand in 1996, and it's now the biggest chili sauce company in China.
The product line features more than a dozen different spicy condiments, but the all-time classic is the original chili oil with fermented soy beans, a dark colored sauce filled with chopped chilis and beans.
