Dapanji to reproduce a Sichuan taste. The dish was served on a big plate by restaurateurs along the Xinjiang highways as a quick fix for hungry truck drivers who often arrived at an odd time of the day. Its rich flavor and heartiness quickly made the dish a favorite of the region, and the dish then spread to the rest of China. The main ingredients are chicken, bell peppers and potatoes, cooked with onions, garlic, ginger, chili peppers, ground cumin, star anise, ground Sichuan peppers, cooking oil, also optionally soy sauce and beer. The chicken is cut into bite size pieces
Chili powder may vary from mild to very hot. Hot varieties are called "cheongyang-gochugaru", since they are made from hotter cheongyang chili peppers rather than regular Korean reds. Chili powder blends are composed chiefly of chili peppers and blended with other spices including cumin, onion, garlic powder, and sometimes salt. The chilis are most commonly either red chili peppers or cayenne peppers, which are both of the species "Capsicum annuum". As a result of the various potential additives, the spiciness of any given chili powder is variable. The first commercial blends of chili powder in the U.S. were created by D.C. Pendery