Tiger Skin Peppers

Tiger skin peppers or hu pi jian jiao (虎皮尖椒) is a popular Sichuan dish. The name comes from the color of the peppers after they’ve been seared in a hot wok, which resembles a tiger’s coat. Some imagination may be required but it’s a cool name and a very tasty and addictive dish for spicy food lovers. The first time I tried tiger skin peppers was at a Sichuan restaurant with a vegan friend of mine who loves spicy food. It was definitely love at first bite, and it reminded me very much of the Spanish tapas, pimientos de padrón, which uses the mild padrón pepper, pan-fried until blistered and served with sea salt. Funny how two cultures think alike. Long green hot peppers are the peppers of choice for “tiger skin peppers”, along with Chinese black vinegar (we use the Chinkiang brand. Check out our ingredients glossary and scroll down to “black rice vinegar” for more information), giving you a spicy and tangy dish. Long green hot peppers are also the first choice for pinxtos, a favorite food of ours while traveling in Madrid, but that’s another story. For this Tiger Skin Peppers dish, we removed the pepper cores and de-seeded them to tone down the spiciness. Then again, sometimes the peppers aren’t hot at all, so you can sample the peppers you are using for spice level before you prepare the dish (or just roll the dice). Either way, making the pan fried long green hot peppers at home gives you the chance to prepare it the way you like it. Every restaurant I’ve ever had this dish in leaves in the seeds and the core, which is the traditional way to prepare it. On with the recipe! It takes just minutes to prepare once you’ve done it for the first time.

Tiger Skin Peppers: Recipe Instructions

Start by preparing your long hot green peppers be de-seeding them. Be sure not to touch your face or eyes before washing your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water. Deseeding and removing the core of the pepper significantly reduces the spice factor of any pepper by a lot. Alternatively, you can also use the less spicy cubano pepper or even a completely benign green bell pepper. Once de-seeded, cut the peppers in half. Combine the water, sugar, Chinese black rice vinegar, and a pinch of salt in a bowl and set aside. Heat the wok over medium heat and spread the oil around the perimeter of the wok. The oil should be hot but not smoking. Add the peppers to the wok and spread them around evenly so they are all in contact with the wok surface. After about 1 minute, start tossing the peppers with your spatula, making sure the peppers cook evenly. You know the wok is the right temperature if you gently press a pepper to the wok and you feel it searing and trying to bounce back. Turn the temperature down if the peppers look like they are starting to burn. You do need some time for the peppers to cook through, because they should be somewhat soft in the finished dish. Continue tossing and turning the peppers for another 5 minutes to make sure all sides get a nice “tiger skin” sear. Once the peppers have that uniform “tiger skin” look, turn the heat up to medium high and add in the vinegar mixture. Stir fry for about 30 seconds until the sauce is reduced slightly. Serve with a sprinkling of sea salt and if you like, drizzle a bit more Chinkiang black vinegar and enjoy!