Guilin Chili Sauce

Guilin Chili Sauce is the "universal seasoning" in Guilin kitchens, known alongside Guilin Sanhua Wine and Fermented Bean Curd as the "Three Treasures of Guilin." Made with locally grown fresh red chili peppers as the main ingredient, it is blended with garlic, ginger, fermented black beans, rock sugar, and other ingredients, ground with a traditional stone mill, and fermented in a ceramic jar under the sun for months. The finished sauce is bright red and glossy, with a rich aroma of chili and fermented soybean paste as soon as the lid is opened. It has a moderate spiciness with a subtle sweetness, preserving the freshness of the chili peppers while developing a unique complex aroma from fermentation. Whether used for mixing with noodles, frying rice, steaming fish, or as a hotpot dip, just one spoonful can instantly enhance the flavor of any dish. For example, steaming Lijiang River fish with Guilin Chili Sauce allows the spiciness to penetrate the tender fish meat, paired with the salty aroma of fermented black beans—a perfect match. Foreign visitors are often first attracted by its vibrant color, and upon tasting, find the spiciness mild and layered, even detecting a faint osmanthus fragrance—some old workshops add a small amount of dried osmanthus during fermentation, giving the chili sauce a unique regional charm.