Mala Market Xiao Mi La Chili Pepper

It’s generally safe to assume that the smaller the chili, the hotter it will be. These tiny little Xiao Mi La chilies are seriously hot and for real chili heads. A single pepper, broken up or left whole, can add a toasty flavor and warm chili heat to most any dish. Use a few in our Spicy Stir-Fried Cumin Beef—you won’t need to use as many as the original recipe calls for, since the heat of Xiao Mi La goes a long way. Or grind a few peppers into spice rubs for barbecue meats, such as our Piri Piri Chicken.

The Mala Market—named after the term for the spicy-numbing combination of chilies and Sichuan peppercorns that defines Sichuan cooking—imports top-grade dried chilies and spices of remarkable quality. Their chilies are intensely fragrant and pliant (the sure sign of a fresh dried chili), and the spices are clear and boldly flavored. Unlike other importers, the Mala Market maintains close control over its supply chain; these chilies go straight from the agrarian Guizhou province to the company’s packers in Chengdu.