Vince

Has anyone else seen this short article from AP news? I understand it intellectually, but can't accept it emotionally! EDIT: copyrighted material removed. Re-Edit: Sorry for the mistake. Here is a link to the AP News Article for those interested. (AP Report)

Momo's are just large dumplings, like the ones in the picture. They are a "Tibetan" food and the traditional version is with yak meat, though you won't find those kind in the US. ← If you are interested, yak meat is avalable here.

I think stickly speaking the term "barbeque" is referring to cooking in slow heat in an oven. When you grill something over open fire, it should be called "grilled". A lot of people mis-labelled their dish. (e.g. "Come to my house to do some barbeque!", and they refer to grilling some hamburger patties on a home "BBQ" stove) ← Okay, but you can cook something slowly on a wood or charcoal fire (ribs are a great example). Has anyone tried making char siu on a charcoal or wood fire, and if so how did it stack up against the oven version? ← Several years ago, after tasting Char Siu from a store that grilled it over charcoal, I decided to make my next batch that way. The "hardware" required some creativity (I added a piece of aluminum flashing on edge to raise the cover of my Weber grill about 18") and even though the first attempt was only "OK" (a little overcooked ), now it is the only way I make it 10 months of the year (Sorry, but the dead of winter is NO fun). The flavor is FANTASTIC! I have also tried cooking Char Siu over the charcoal, but adding some hickory wood to give it some "smoke" flavor. Also very good. In fact, a friend used my Char Siu marinade for a Barbeque Cook-Off and won Second Place! Vince

Thanks for the feedback on Buffalo Creek. BTW, what part of the US do you live? I have yet to find any Sichuan Peppercorns in any of the local Asian markets here in the the Northern Virginia area. But perhaps it is time to look again.

Has anyone else purchased from Buffalo Creek? Any comments on quality? Vince

While I will agree that storing time is important, ALL spices suffer from two distinct forms of flavor degradation. The first is the loss of some of the volatile essential oils that give the spice its flavor and the second is the slow process of oxidation mediated by the moisture in the air. The best approach for storage of nearly all aromatic spices is the same - package them well to seal out the air and moisture and then keep that package as cold as possible. Small, glass jars with TIGHT fitting lids that are kept in the coldest part of the storage freezer will prolong the life of most aromatic spices ten-fold. Vince

I purchased a pound from Buffalo Creek and received them last week. Good "buzz" and numbing taste. I would suggest that people consider this as a source if you have no other options. (a pound is a LOT of peppercorns! )

I may have located a source for Sichuan peppercorns - Buffalo Creek Spices. They sell spices in relatively large bulk volumes (pound), and they have the following: PepperCorns Whole, Sichuan-Sold by the pound for $8.01/pound. Shipping is a reasonable $4.00. Has anyone tried this source??

Is there a possible mail order source for us for whom this is not quite "local"? Edit addition: As I continued to think about this, these peppercorns would NOT subject to ANY restrictions whatsoever since they are being grown in the US!! Where is an entrepreneur who wants to start a new business supplying eGullet members with this essential ingredient?