These things on the right are a type of chilli pepper. (The thing on the left is a book.) The peppers are small – about the size of a gooseberry or a large grape and very hot. They also have a citrus flavour Their colour ranges from pale yellow through green to to orange and red or even purple.
They are known as 米椒 (Mand: mǐ jiāo; Cant: mai5 ziu1), which literally translates as 'rice pepper', although the rice character 米 is sometimes used to indicate smallness. Other names commonly used are 五彩椒 (Mand: wǔ cǎi jiāo; Cant: ng5 coi2 ziu1) meaning '5 colour peppers' or 七彩椒 (Mand: qī cǎi jiāo; Cant: cat1 coi2 ziu1), meaning 7-colour peppers.
They are most often used in braises and stews where they contribute their heat and flavour, but are ultimately discarded. I’ve also seen them pickled and labelled as 泡米椒 (Mand: pào mǐ jiāo; Cant: paau1mai5 ziu1) where the first character means 'pickled'.
