Chili is the soul of the bowl

The “soul” of Gansu malatang must be the boldly flavored chili oil. Each household has its own secret recipe for making chili oil: typically, spices like star anise, bay leaves, and Sichuan peppercorns are ground into powder for seasoning, combined with bits of walnut, white sesame, sugar, and then splashed with hot oil infused with scallions, onions, and cilantro. 

Gangu county in Tianshui is one of the earliest chili cultivation areas in China. Thanks to its unique soil and climatic conditions, Gangu’s chilies are thick-fleshed and rich in aromatic flavor. Currently, Gangu has a chili cultivation area of 30,000 acres and over 100 processing enterprises. The county also vigorously promotes Gangu chili through online e-commerce platforms, with cumulative sales reaching 4.372 billion yuan ($607 million).

Garlands of Gangu chili in Tianshui, Gansu province. [Photo provided to gogansu.com]