郫县豆瓣酱 Pixian Dou ban jiang , Doubanjiang

     Sichuan Pixiandouban Co. Dou ban jiang Paste, www.pxdb.com is an essential ingredient for authentic Sichuan (Szechuan) and Hunan cuisine. If you happen to be a fan of Iron Chef Chinese Chen Kenichi as I am you undoubtedly want to search this ingredient out.

Taste:
     Taste is a well balanced blend of bean and Sichuan spices, unfortunately as with many products from mainland China the preservative taste is well noticeable in the chopped chilies. That being said I prefer this paste over similar Lee Kum Kee and Dynasty pastes, that usually have a more prominent preservative taste in their bean pastes than this.

Heat Rating - 2 Hot Lips -
(of 0 to 4)
0 - No Heat
1 - Mild Lips
2 - Hot Lips
3 - Firecracker
4 - No Lips (Extreme precaution)

Use:
     Typically you want to add this paste just after stir-frying meats or to infuse oil with its flavor before adding any stock / water or additional vegetables / noodles to the wok. Please take care when using not to burn the paste and use in a well ventilated kitchen.

Where to Find:
     You can find it at SF Supermarket Stockton, CA or if your lucky at the 99 Ranch chain of supermarkets.

Please take care with expiration date.