Pounded Chilies with Century Egg

Leijiao Pidan is a uniquely Hunan dish that's part salad, part dip. Fresh green chili peppers are charred over an open flame until the skin is blackened and blistered, then peeled and pounded in a mortar with century egg (pidan), garlic, and salt. The pounding process transforms the ingredients into a chunky, creamy mixture where the smoky chilies, rich century egg, and pungent garlic meld into one. The texture is rustic, the flavor is bold — smoky, spicy, earthy, and slightly funky from the century egg.

📖 History

This dish comes from Hunan's Lei (pounding) cooking tradition, where ingredients are crushed in a mortar to release their flavors. It's a common home-style dish throughout the province.