Chillies, Dried Red

A beautiful sight in food shops, at the front of restaurants and in the homes of Sichuan are the long strings of dried red chillies. Used less frequently in other areas of China, dried chillies are essential to many Sichuan-inspired dishes. They are used in either whole or ground form. Some are small and thin, 12-25mm/½-l in long. They are used to season oil for stir-fried dishes, or split and chopped and used in sauces and for braising. They are normally left whole, cut in half lengthways, or finely ground with the seeds left in. Dried chilies will keep more or less indefinitely stored in a tightly covered jar in a cool, dry place.