Sichuan paocai uses a brine of salt, huajiao (Sichuan peppercorn), baijiu and chilies in a sealed ceramic jar (
泡菜坛子). Unlike Korean kimchi it's lightly fermented and used as a relish or cooked into
泡菜鱼 and
泡椒. Each family's
老盐水 (mother brine) is passed down for decades.
