Chinese Cuisine Peppers
1. **Zoupi Pepper**
- **SHU (Scoville Heat Unit)**: Mild to medium heat; 5,000-10,000 SHU.
- **Days to Harvest**: Typically around 75-90 days.
- **Background**: Often cultivated in Asia, Zoupi peppers are known for their mild heat and are frequently used in oils and pastes rather than for intense spice.
- **Chinese Cooking Link**: Common in sauces and as a seasoning in milder stir-fries, adding depth without overpowering heat.
2. **Rawit Pepper**
- **SHU**: 50,000-100,000, giving it intense heat.
- **Days to Harvest**: Around 80-90 days.
- **Background**: Also called Thai chili, this pepper is native to Southeast Asia and has been adapted in Chinese cuisine for its robust heat.
- **Chinese Cooking Link**: Often used in spicy stir-fries and infused oils, Rawit peppers bring bold spiciness to Sichuan and Hunan-style dishes.
3. **Chinese 5 Color Pepper**
- **SHU**: 5,000-30,000, offering mild to moderate heat.
- **Days to Harvest**: Approximately 85-95 days.
- **Background**: This pepper is notable for its ornamental appeal, with fruit that changes from purple, cream, yellow, orange, to red as it matures. While primarily ornamental, it's also edible.
- **Chinese Cooking Link**: Often added to stir-fries or used as garnish, contributing mild heat and visual appeal.
4. **Hangjiao 3 'Solar Flare'**
- **Latin name**: *Capsicum annuum*
- **SHU**: 5,000-10,000, giving it medium heat.
- **Days to Harvest**: Around 80-90 days from transplanting.
- **Plant Height**: Grows up to 50-60 cm in pots.
- **Fruit Size and Shape**: About 2 cm wide and up to 20 cm long, with fruit that can be straight or curled.
- **Color of Fruit and Maturity**: Ripens from green to a bright orange.
- **Flavor**: A medium spice level with a complex flavor, excellent when dried and powdered as a spice.
- **Background**: Developed as part of a Chinese space-experiment project, Solar Flare is a product of space-induced mutation research led by Jiang Xingcun at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. This project, begun in 1987, led to enhanced size, yield, and unique pepper shapes.
- **Chinese Cooking Link**: Hangjiao peppers are popular in Hunan cuisine, particularly for drying and adding mild, smoky heat to dishes.
Start indoors 10-14 weeks prior to last frost. Transplant to 4 inch pots when true leaves appear. Requires hardening. Transplant seedlings 24-36 inches apart in well-draining loamy soil. Water regularly. Harvest peppers with gloves when deep red and wrinkled
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