- published: 24 Aug 2010
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Chenpi or chen pi (Chinese: 陈皮, pinyin: chénpí) is sun-dried tangerine (mandarin) peel used as a traditional seasoning in Chinese cooking and traditional medicine. They are aged by storing them dry. They have a pungent and bitter taste.
Some tong sui desserts such as red bean soup will use this occasionally.
Chenpi is used to make the Hunanese dish Orange Chicken.
Chenpi is a common ingredient in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
In traditional Chinese medicine, the dried peel of the fruit is used in the regulation of ch'i, and also used to treat abdominal distension, to enhance digestion, and to reduce phlegm. Mandarins have also been used in ayurveda (traditional medicine of India).
ORANGE CHICKEN Chun Pei Gai Pan Traditionally this Hunan recipe contained what is called chun pei, or ‘old skin,’ to describe the dried citrus peel used in its preparation.