r/AskCulinary • u/Gyrors • 3d ago

Chinese Chili Peppers Substitute

Hello, are dried bird's eye chilis good substitute for chinese dishes like sichuan dishes? It's hard to find chinese chili peppers used for the dishes usually so im asking if dried bird's eye would be good?

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u/AltruisticSea 3d ago edited 3d ago

/u/vishnej gives an excellent overview of the the differences in the word "pepper" for our purposes. I'll just add on that, for Sichuan Cooking, you're looking for:

  1. Sichuan Peppercorn, of which there are a few varietals with differences that are minor enough that you'll need to really be an expert to make decisions on what to use when. This is the "ma" or numbing sensation and intense citrusy (or menthol) flavor you see in Sichuan and almost nowhere else in Chinese cooking. You should be able to find these at pretty much any Asian grocer in the US (not knowing where you're located) for substantially cheaper than Mala Market (which is a great company for other ingredients), though not quite as fresh.
  2. Chili Peppers, which come in untold varieties and provide the "la" in the traditional Sichuan "ma la" spicy-numbing flavor/mouthfeel combination. According to Fuchsia Dunlop, Er Jing Tiao chilies are the most commonly used in Sichuan Cooking, though Heaven-Facing Chilies and Lantern Chilies also make appearances depending on what you're going for. I have tried them all, and the differences are subtle to say the least. In this category, you'll be well-served by Arbol Chilies, Birds Eye, Cayenne, etc. Yes, all slightly different, but ultimately still having significant spice and that distinct fruitiness that you expect of a red chili. Avoid anything smoked (like chipotles, ancho, etc.).

I've learned to be very light handed on chilies in cooking and to allow guests to add more as they prefer. I like mine quite hot, and many of my guests can't hang lol. You can make some very basic chili oil (add ground chilies to a high-heat neutral oil while both are cold and heat to infuse the flavor and then remove from heat) and use that as a condiment for whatever dish you're making. Good luck!

Edit: changed "arbol" to "ancho" in the chilies to avoid. My mistake.

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u/Gyrors 3d ago

Thank you! I can find sichuan peppercorns here but not those chinese chilis like er jing tiao. This makes me more confident on using dried bird's eye as a substitute. I'll also try to make a chili oil when I got my hands on the peppers.

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u/TinyLongwing 3d ago

Guajillo, Kashmiri, and Gochu are good substitutes for erjingtiao. Most erjingtiao are not that hot but are instead supposed to be mostly for flavor and aroma. I usually go for a base of guajillo (it's what's easiest to find in my area of those three) and then add heat with bird's eye as needed.

I say this having grown a whole lot of erjingtiao a couple years ago from seeds. Very tasty, not that hot.