🍽️ Peeled Chili

Fried then pickled sweet-spicy chili, Hualien specialty.

Peeled chili is a specialty of the Hualien area on Taiwan's east coast. Thick green chilies are deep-fried, skinned, then soaked in a brine of soy sauce, sugar, vinegar and spices. Frying and pickling soften the raw heat into a rounded, mellow sweetness, and removing the skin gives the chili an unusually tender texture with a bright sweet-sour soy aroma. It is commonly eaten as a relish with congee or rice, or added to soups and stir-fries for depth. Rooted in Hualien's agricultural hinterland, this handmade pickled chili is a local favorite and a popular souvenir for travelers, ready to eat straight from the jar.