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Many thanks. I assumed--incorrectly, of course--that "gan" was the kind of pepper. It didn't occur to me that it might simply mean dried. Wonderful; got what I went for, several times over.

Any guesses on the package with the white ink pagoda?

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Gypsy Boy

“How can a nation be called great if its bread tastes like kleenex?” (Julia Child)

Oops, too late. I'll go ahead and post anyway.


The four photos I posted this morning were taken Saturday evening at Chinatown Market. I don't remember any being in short supply.

Ganlajiao is dried hot pepper. The smaller yellow characters above are chao tian (facing heaven). Here's a little pepper dictionary that might be helpful.

辣椒 = là jiāo = hot pepper
面 = miàn = flour = ground
干 = gàn = dry
朝天 = cháo tiān = toward day = facing heaven

I'm looking forward to hearing more about what you bought (especially the various brands of dou ban jian) and what you make.


Thanks!

Here is the selection of dou ban jian I picked up today. All (except for #3, about which, more at the bottom) state that they were manufactured in Chengdu.

1. “Pixian Broad Bean Paste,” Dandan Condiment Co., Ltd.
2. “Pi Xian Dou Ban,” Sichuan Gao Fu Ji Food Co., Ltd.
3. “Sichuan Broad-Bean Sauce,” Ah Hung (doesn’t specify a city of manufacture but appears to be made in Guangdong)
4. “Pi Xian Broad Bean Sauce,” Chengdu Lion Pavilion Food Co., Ltd.
5. “Pixian Broad Bean Sauce,” Spicy King
And, not strictly dou ban jian (?),
6. “Pixian Seasoned Bean,” Spicy King


Numbers 6, 4, and 1.

#2 is gfj-003, about the tenth item down the list.


And, finally, last, but not least:


Appears to be the same as my #5, although mine is in a large, clear, extremely basic, plastic pouch.

I can’t find a picture anywhere or even a descriptive page about #3, the product, the maker, or even the importer.

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Gypsy Boy

“How can a nation be called great if its bread tastes like kleenex?” (Julia Child)

To supplement my post immediately above: went shopping again to pick up some odds and ends that I neglected to get the first time around and found yet one more Pixian dou ban jian. There is minimal English on the package but the ingredients clearly state broad beans. The brand appears to be Qiao Niang Fang and the distributor (?) is Chengdu Chuanxiangmeifood Co., Ltd.

Then, in a fit of [fill-in-the-blank], I sat down, opened all seven packages and had my own personal taste test. Whew! Salty, salty, salty. Not too hot. And, surprisingly (at least to me), the results were very largely similar. Which is to say, there was not much variation in flavor. There were only two "anomalies": one was much thinner and of a soup-like consistency (the rest were pastes, some thick, some thicker still) although the flavor was pretty much on a par with all the others. And one (the Chengdu Lion) had a very distinctive, quite different flavor than all the rest. Not bad, not off-putting. Just very different. Given that the ingredients listed were only chilis, broad beans, salt, and wheat flour, I cannot imagine what the flavor was. On the whole, some were saltier, some had chunkier (larger) pieces of chilis, some were a little spicier than others (though none was especially hot) but the flavor profile was remarkably similar across seven different packages.

Although I have no idea how I will use this much stuff, I labeled each one, stuck each in its own container, and placed them all in the extra refrigerator. Anyone who wishes to visit for a taste test of their own is welcome to visit--seriously. I am more than happy to get--indeed, I actively invite--others' input on the differences.

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Gypsy Boy

“How can a nation be called great if its bread tastes like kleenex?” (Julia Child)

Has anyone ever seen or used this brand? I found it at Assi Plaza in Niles today, $1.49 for 500g. Even if it's awful, I've only blown a buck and a half -- quite the bargain compared to the jars of non-Pi Xian stuff I've bought (usually $2-4.) I plan on making something with it this week, so stay tuned to this channel.

IMG_20121111_140150.jpg

(a few days later)
I made Dunlop's fish-fragrant eggplant tonight. The above paste has a sharp, funky smell, a bit like rotting vegetables with a spicy undertone. It's earthier and spicier than the non pi xian stuff I've bought jarred.

End result, though, I don't know that it's a big difference. What I ate tonight was fantastic, but it usually is with the other stuff too.

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What is patriotism, but the love of good things we ate in our childhood?
-- Lin Yutang

If anyone's looking for the yeast balls to make homemade laozao, when I went searching for them I checked an apothecary first, and they didn't have them but the woman wrote this note for me. She told me to take it to Mayflower and show it to them, and they would hook me up (not her words, but you know). When I first asked the woman who wrote me the note she sternly asked, "yeah, but do you know how to make it?" I gotta kick out of this little adventure.

The yeast balls were above one of the meat freezers, middle isle.