Facing Heaven Chillies

Facing Heaven chilly pepper is a cone-shaped, medium-hot chili pepper with very thin skin, between 3 and 6 centimeters in length, and 1 to 2 centimeters in diameter at the base. Originally from Sichuan province in Southwest China, it owes its name to the fact that it grows with the fruit pointing upwards, rather than downwards as is normal with other pepper plants. Because of its attractive appearance, the dried chili is often added to dishes whole. When lightly fried in oil it turns radiant red and loses enough of its heat to allow for it to be eaten whole.