Fermented Vegetables & Pickles
Fermented Chili (Pao Jiao)
Also: pao jiao, pickled whole chili, Sichuan pickled chili, pào jiāo, paojiao
Whole chilies lacto-fermented in brine until sour and vibrantly fruity — the acid-forward heat that gives Sichuan fish dishes and stir-fries their characteristic bright, tangy punch.
Pao jiao (泡椒) are whole fresh chilies — typically medium-hot varieties like the er jing tiao or smaller facing-heaven chilies — submerged in a salt brine and allowed to lacto-ferment in sealed clay crocks for weeks to months. Lactic acid bacteria convert the chilies' sugars into acid, dropping the pH, preserving the bright red colour and the fruity chili aroma while adding a sharp, sour tang. Unlike chili bean paste (doubanjiang), which is thick, oily, and deeply fermented, pao jiao retains the fresh chili's structural integrity: whole pods that burst with brine, fruity heat, and lactic sourness. Both the chilies and their brine are used in cooking, often together.
In photos
Flavour profile
Classic pairings
- Freshwater fish (particularly bass and carp)Sichuan
Pao jiao's acid cuts through the muddy earthiness of freshwater fish — shuizhu yu and pao jiao yu are canonical; the brine permeates the flesh during cooking.
- Frog legs (tian ji)Sichuan
Sichuan pao jiao frog (pao jiao tian ji) is a famous restaurant dish — the sour-spicy brine tenderises and seasons the delicate protein simultaneously.
- GingerSichuan
Sliced ginger stir-fried alongside pao jiao is a reflexive Sichuan pairing: ginger's heat is dry and sharp; pao jiao's heat is wet and sour — together they create a three-dimensional spice.
- GarlicSichuan
Minced garlic bloomed in the pao jiao brine before the main protein is added creates the classic pao jiao stir-fry base.
- Potato (shredded, stir-fried)Sichuan
Pao jiao tudou si (sour-spicy shredded potato) is a beloved Sichuan-style home dish — the starch soaks up the acid beautifully.
- Pork (thinly sliced)Sichuan
Pork's fat absorbs the sour-spicy brine; pao jiao and pork stir-fries appear on almost every Sichuan home menu.
- Chicken (especially dark meat)Sichuan
The acid tenderises chicken while adding sour heat — pao jiao ji is a staple in Sichuan restaurants, often served on the bone for maximum flavour absorption.
Adventurous pairings
- Clams and mussels
Pao jiao brine replaces white wine as a braising liquid for shellfish — the lactic acid opens the shells and seasons the liquor with sour heat.
- Cream cheese
Finely minced pao jiao folded into cream cheese creates a sharp, tangy-hot spread that works on bagels or crudités — a Sichuan-Brooklyn hybrid with real merit.
Replaces fresh chili and fish sauce in a Sichuan riff on som tam — the lactic acid substitutes for lime, the brine for fish sauce.
A few slices of pao jiao and a pour of its brine stirred into miso soup creates a Chinese-Japanese crossover with complementary fermented-acid profiles.
- Beef tartare
Minced pao jiao as the acid element instead of capers or Worcestershire — the fruity heat and lactic tang work beautifully against raw beef fat.
Tread carefully
- Milk-based sauces (béchamel, cream reductions)avoid
Lactic acid can cause dairy proteins to curdle at cooking temperatures; the sour-spicy flavour also conflicts with cream's richness without a mediating element.
- Mild white fish cooked for a long timeavoid
Extended cooking with the acidic brine can make delicate fish mushy — add pao jiao only in the final minutes or as a finishing condiment.
- Sweet dessert preparationsavoid
Pao jiao's saline lactic sourness has no natural counterpart in dessert flavour logic — chili chocolate uses fresh dried chili, not fermented brine.
How to use it
- Slice open whole pods to release more brine into a stir-fry sauce
- Use the brine as a souring agent in soups and marinades in place of vinegar
- Roughly chop and stir-fry with ginger and garlic to create a pao jiao stir-fry base before adding protein
- Leave whole for visual impact in braises — they soften and infuse the cooking liquid
- Blend with neutral oil to create a quick pao jiao chili oil with sour-heat character
- Add to pickling crocks as a culture starter for subsequent batches (the live brine contains active lacto-bacteria)
Appears in
Related flavours
- Doubanjiang (Sichuan Chili Bean Paste)
The other great Sichuan fermented chili condiment — doubanjiang is thick, oily, and complex; pao jiao is whole, juicy, and acid-forward; they are rarely interchangeable
The numbing partner in most Sichuan dishes; pao jiao brings acid-heat, Sichuan peppercorn brings the mala (numbing-spicy) dimension
Standard co-ingredient in pao jiao stir-fries — the dry, sharp heat of ginger complements the wet, sour heat of the pickled chili
Sometimes added alongside pao jiao brine in recipes; similar sourness but lacks the fermented complexity and chili heat
References
- 1.The Food of Sichuan — Fuchsia Dunlop
- 2.Land of Plenty — Fuchsia Dunlop
- 3.Sichuan Cookery — Fuchsia Dunlop
- 4.All Under Heaven — Carolyn Phillips
Confidence: high
Notes
Pao jiao vs. pickled chili paste
Pao jiao should not be confused with chopped pickled chili condiments like duo la jiao (Hunan-style chopped fermented chili) or the chili paste sold as 'pickled chili sauce.' Pao jiao are whole pods lacto-fermented in a water brine — structural, juicy, and fruity. The chopped pastes are separately processed products with different textures and fermentation depths.
Home crock method
Traditional Sichuan households maintain a pao cai jar (pickling crock with a water-sealed lid) year-round, rotating different vegetables through the brine. Pao jiao are among the longest-fermented items in the crock — weeks to months for full sour development. The brine is never discarded; it is continuously replenished and considered to improve over decades of use.