The Chili Dip that seems to go with everything [12 recipes]

Danshan is a much beloved Yunnanese chili dip that began to explode in popularity over the last couple years in China. In this video, we wanted to show you how you can use the stuff.

0:00 – Introducing Danshan
0:59 – Use 1, Dry Dips
3:40 – Use 2, Wet Dips
5:20 – Use 3, Base seasoning
6:46 – Use 4, Cross Culture Silliness
8:05 – What to look for when buying?

FULL, DETAILED WRITTEN RECIPES

…are over on Substack! Free as always, if it had to be said:

https://chinesecookingdemystified.substack.com/p/danshan-the-yunnan-chili-dip-that

Too many recipes to double up and list out the ingredients here, so definitely check out the post.

Oh! And for the like six people that are reading this also from Bangkok, this is the Yunnan supermarket we like:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/h2i2jWffzTatsszMA

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And check out our Patreon if you’d like to support the project!
https://www.patreon.com/ChineseCookingDemystified

Outro Music: คิดถึงคุณจัง by ธานินทร์ อินทรเทพ
Found via My Analog Journal (great channel): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHaL5H-VYRg&t=896s

This is Danshan. What Za’atar is to the  levant, what creole seasoning is to Louisiana,   this is to Yunnan China – something  that’s both a foundational mix and,   importantly, a way to add a lot of flavor  while making the cook’s life easier. What  

The stuff is is toasted chili pepper, some  good Sichuan peppercorn, white pepper powder,   fennel seed, and ginger… all seasoned  with salt and a healthy hit of MSG. Now at the most basic level, how you use it is  this: (first) you take a thing (second) you dip  

Thing in Danshan and (third) you eat and enjoy  your thing. And that thing? can be basically   anything – there’s even GMM style taste tests  over on the Chinese internet – but most classic   in Yunnan would probably be either grilled potato  or grilled tofu, which we’ll swing back to in just  

A sec. But another common choice is fruit,  kind of akin to chili salt in southeast Asia   or maybe Tajin over in Mexico. Our personal  favorite on that front is sour green mango,   but like… honestly, practically any fruit can  work pretty well. Alternatively, you can also  

Mix your fruit with the stuff, which’s actually  our preference – roughly one tablespoon worth   per 100 grams of fruit. If sour green mango  is a tough source for you, another thing we   really like is pineapple given this treatment. And for a similar not-fruit option, an acid-set  

Fresh cheese called rubing is one local specialty  in Northwest Yunnan. It’s commonly seen pan-fried   and dipped – this sort being one option among a  couple. Pretty straightforward to make, you can   sub rubing with halloumi or paneer – what we’re  using today actually… and slice it into about ½  

Cm sheets. Then just toss three tablespoons of  oil to a wok and season the oil at first with   a half teaspoon of salt. Then just fry those over  a medium-high flame for about one or two minutes,   or until it gently browns, then flip and repeat.  Then just remove, drain, and devour with Danshan.

But Of course, when it comes to  a dry dip, we can’t really talk   danshan without covering the foreshadowed  baojiang doufu – a crispy-on-the-outside,   melty on the inside Yunnan style of tofu from  which it’s practically inseparable. This tofu  

Variety would be the kind of of thing someone in  Yunnan would just… purchase at their local market,   but for us outside conveniently the stuff gets  its unique texture not with some kind of crazy   coagulation technique but via a simple alkaline  treatment. Just start from any block of firm tofu,  

Slice it into about ½ cm sheets, and then  place them into a bowl. Then just add in 2   of grams salt, 8g of baking soda all with 400mL of  water, and then let it sit for about eight hours. 

Then… after that time, drain out the water, rinse  off some of that soda and then pat dry. To cook   it, in Yunnan grilling is by far the most common  route, but you can also get there slightly less  

Conveniently by pan-frying in a cast iron. Heat up  the pan, touch of oil, about 1 tablespoon, and fry   those over medium-low for about eight minutes  each side, though word of warning flipping can   get a little awkward in a pan. Either way, just  remove, toss on a plate, and devour with Danshan.

Now… that’s all pretty straightforward, but  – I do think it’s actually as a wet dip that   Danshan’s versatility really shines. Because  throughout southwest China, there’s a really   cool homestyle way of eating vegetable, which  we covered before in our previous ‘vegetable  

In water’ video. Basically what you do is just  toss some vegetables in boiling water – anything   relatively hearty you got – shut off the heat,  and let the vegetable naturally cool down in it. It’s a super low-stress mise for the cook because  you could toss it on the table immediately, or let  

It sit on the side for 30, 60, 90 minutes whatever  as you’re doing other stuff. All the flavor then   comes from the dip – you just ladle 4 tbsp of the  veg-boiling-water into about 1 tablespoon of the   Danshan, mix, and then that’s seriously that  – it’s just a delicious and crazy simple way  

To eat a lot of vegetable. But… from there, you  can also build off of that base – for example,   one classic might be to then mix that mix with  a bit of soy sauce and aromatics – and here,   we enjoy some minced ginger and scallion  together with our vegetable in water.

Or… alternatively, dip wise, you can also  go oil based. 1 tablespoon of danshan,   2 tablespoons of oil, heated up to  about 120C, then mixed in. Then just   toss in some soy sauce and aromatics –  here we went with some minced garlic,  

Together with a bit of mint… mint because  this dip is incredibly delicious devoured   via some thinly sliced stewed beef shin,  super simple, recipe’s in the description. But then… in addition to those simple dips, you  can also use Danshan as a sort of base flavor  

For more complicated Yunnanese mixed dishes.  For example, a classic potato dish in Yunnan   is something called zha yang yu – it’s the  kind of thing you can find it on the street   pretty much all throughout the province. To make  it, you first deep fry some chunks of potatoes,  

Preferably something waxier like a fingerling,  then transfer over to a mixing bowl – no need   to drain. Add in 1 tbsp danshan, 1/8 tsp each  salt and MSG, a tsp sesame paste diluted with   another tsp of sesame oil and ¼ tsp Sichuan  pepper oil, a clove of minced garlic,  

And some spicy red chilies. Toss with a  tsp of toasted sesame seed together with   healthy handful of cilantro… and eat with a  skewer for maximum authenticity bonus points. Or maybe another option might be something like  a Dai-flavor rice noodle. This was 150 grams of  

Fresh rice noodles – and feel free to swap for  something dried and boiled – tossed with pineapple   chunks, halved cherry tomato, julienned  carrot, sliced onion, cilantro, culantro,   garlic and sliced red chili. This then was just  then mixed in with a danshan based sauce, full  

Components of which are up here on the screen…  combined thoroughly and then served in a big bowl.  Or… I dunno, maybe you’re feeling a little frisky  and want to try the stuff as western food? I mean,  

Sure. Totally. Like yoghurt plus danshan plus a  touch of salt is way more delicious of an American   style dip than it has any right to be. Or… maybe  you want something a little different for your hot  

Wings. Hot sauce, butter, big handful of danshan,  why not. Or for a couple ideas a little more   Yunnan inspired, how about some pounded garlic,  fermented tofu, rice vinegar, danshan, and Sichuan   peppercorn oil… all tossed with together with the  same wings together with some cilantro, culantro,  

And scallion. Or… I dunno, maybe a salad with some  of those Dai flavors we used before… pineapple,   cucumber, paneer, danshan, minced garlic  and chili… the herbaceous usual suspects,   seasoned with salt, MSG, and a bit of Sichuan  pepper oil. Tastes pretty Yunnan, but it wouldn’t  

Be out of place at a cookout, I don’t think. Now. Of course, I am aware that this was all   pretty rapid fire, so we will give you full  detailed written recipes for all of this stuff,   but the fundamental point is this. This is a  seasoning mix that belongs up there with the  

World’s greats, it’s super versatile, and  belongs it in your cupboard. And luckily,   this isn’t the type of thing that’s super  obscure or anything – besides being quite   available online it’s also highly probable that  your local Chinese supermarket also carries it.

So! When you are buying this kind of stuff,  besides Danshan the classic there’s also the   Danshan tematela… which is extra spicy and  numbing. Then, you will also see some other   brands: sometimes you would often see like “9+1”  or something like “2+1” or “1+1”… that’s like  

A common trait on their packaging. So right!  Check out the recipe in the description box,   a big thank you to everyone that’s  supporting us on Patreon… and of course,   subscribe for more Chinese cooking videos! Great  supermarket if you’re ever in Bangkok by the way…