The more I cook Hunan food, the more I realize that some of its most distinctive flavors don’t come from complicated recipes. They come from the ingredients that Hunan cooks keep on hand. Duo Jiao (剁椒), chopped salted chilies allowed to ferment until they become tangy, savory and deeply aromatic, is one of those ingredients.
You can buy jars of Duo Jiao in a Chinese market, and I have. But once I began using it in dishes such as Hunan steamed fish and stir-fries, I became curious about making it myself. The basic process couldn’t be much simpler: fresh chilies, salt, garlic and time. What happens over the next several days is the interesting part. The chilies soften and release their juices, the brine becomes cloudy, and the sharp smell of fresh peppers gradually develops into something much more complex.
So I decided to make a batch and document the process from beginning to end. This isn’t a shortcut version or an attempt to reproduce the flavor with vinegar. We’re going to let fermentation do the work.
Day One: Fresh chilies, garlic and salt before fermentation begins.
A piece of parchment and a glass fermentation weight keep the chilies submerged beneath the developing brine.
Day Two: The chilies have already begun releasing their liquid, creating a layer of brine above the peppers.
I’m documenting this batch as it ferments and will continue updating this post with photographs, observations, and the complete method as the process develops.
Day Seven: The chilies have softened and settled considerably, while the brine has begun to clear. The aroma is pleasantly fermented and noticeably more rounded. Fermentation continues.
To be continued….