Sichuan Peppercorns

[Jesse A]

I'm planning on trying Mark Bittman's recipe for chicken, garlic and soy stew from this weeks Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/21/dining/213mrex.html

It calls for a tsp of sichuan peppercorns. I assume from the recipe that they are to be used whole, but every recipe I've seen that calls for them has you roast and grind them. Can they be used whole? Will they flavor the stew without at least being bruised or cracked? Will they be unpleasant to eat whole?

Also, if I can't find them, what's the closest substitute?

[origamicrane]

you can use them whole they aren't unpleasant to eat whole

just may be a little powerful.

There no substitue to them that i know off as they have the tongue numbing effect but you could just use a mix of red and fresh green peppercorns

[Megan Blocker]

I'm planning on trying Mark Bittman's recipe for chicken, garlic and soy stew from this weeks Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/21/dining/213mrex.html

It calls for a tsp of sichuan peppercorns.  I assume from the recipe that they are to be used whole, but every recipe I've seen that calls for them has you roast and grind them.  Can they be used whole?  Will they flavor the stew without at least being bruised or cracked?  Will they be unpleasant to eat whole?

Also, if I can't find them, what's the closest substitute?

←

You know what's weird? I just read through the recipe, and though the peppercorns are listed as an ingredient, I don't see them being used in the body of the recipe.

My guess is that this is a typo in one of two ways: either the peppercorns do not belong here or you're supposed to remove them before serving, like the cinnamon stick and the star anise - like a bouquet garni of sorts.

Come to think of it, he never mentions the salt and freshly ground pepper in the actual recipe, either, though I assume they're meant to season the chicken before cooking...

Like origamicrane, I would sub in red peppercorns.

[docsconz]

I recently came across some. How does one use them?

[JasonTrue]

Following the habits of my Chinese neighbor when I was a starving student in Germany, I usually toast them in oil to add the tongue-numbing and aromatic properties to the oil.

Depending on the dish, they may then be removed or left in. Some people toast them dry, then grind or crush them, and put them into hot oil just an instant before other ingredients are added.

Since they are a citrus fruit, the USDA restricts the import of Sichuan peppers for fear of a fungus that could affect citrus growers in Florida and California. Accordingly, they are often now intentionally mislabeled.

I recently came across some. How does one use them?

←

[SuzySushi]

Since they are a citrus fruit, the USDA restricts the import of Sichuan peppers for fear of a fungus that could affect citrus growers in Florida and California. Accordingly, they are often now intentionally mislabeled.

←

Not any more. The ban has been lifted for Sichuan peppercorns that have been heat-treated.

[SuzySushi]

I recently came across some. How does one use them?

←

I always toast and grind them just before using. They can be added early in the cooking process to recipes that call for them (such as meat marinades or cold noodles with sesame sauce), or sprinkled on at the end for a bit of piquant flavor (think of them as the garam masala of Chinese food. (They're very similar, in fact, to Japanese sansho pepper, which is used in the same way or added to foods as a table condiment.)

Another traditional use is in Sichuan salt & pepper -- mix toasted ground Sichuan pepper with coarse salt and use at the table to sprinkle over dishes like shrimp fried in their shells.

Edited September 22, 2005 by SuzySushi (log)

[gus_tatory]

you know what's really nice? i take

1 tsp sichuan peppercorn/prickly ash/sanshou (in my understanding, they're all the same thing, but correct me if i'm wrong please )

1 tsp mustard seed

1 tsp coriander seed

1 tsp black peppercorns

and grind them in the mortar/pestle (suribachi). this goes on veg, grilled things, rice, etc...

[Brad Ballinger]

I've had a stash of these for years. I like to crush them and press them onto various meats that I either grill of pan sear. They are very good on venison steaks and chops.

[k43]

Only the red outer husk is used, at least from what I've read. That means you need to pour them out on a plate, remove the twigs and rub the husk off the black seed in the middle. It's a pain in the ... fingertips to do this, but I've tried them without removing the seed, and it's very bitter.

I've never seen them ground up at, say, Grand Sichuan or Spicy & Tasty, where the husks are clearly visible.

[Aileen]

Hmm. The sichuan peppercorns my sister brought me from China (given to her by a waitress in a restaurant) have green husks. Is that odd? They have fantastic flavor and "zing", so I'm not complaining, I'm just wondering if they're supposed to be red.

[ianeccleston]

Hmm.  The sichuan peppercorns my sister brought me from China (given to her by a waitress in a restaurant) have green husks.  Is that odd?  They have fantastic flavor and "zing", so I'm not complaining, I'm just wondering if they're supposed to be red.

←

I think the heat treatment changes their color. They should be OK, but may be bad for your citrus plants.

Ian

[JasonTrue]

There are a few different varieties of sansho/Sichuan peppercorns and some of them are best harvested green, some are best harvested red.

Last year I got my hands on some fresh sansho in Japan, from the backyard of one of the potters I work with, but he said this variety is better harvested green. I got there a bit too late in the year .

They still had a really nice aroma. Minowa said that the flavor is a bit better green for this variety, although it's possible this is a matter of taste. As a parallel, other citrus fruits are conventionally used unripe, such as limes, sudachi and kabosu; some are usually used ripe, such as lemon; and of course, yuzu, which is used both ways.

Hmm.  The sichuan peppercorns my sister brought me from China (given to her by a waitress in a restaurant) have green husks.  Is that odd?  They have fantastic flavor and "zing", so I'm not complaining, I'm just wondering if they're supposed to be red.

←

I think the heat treatment changes their color. They should be OK, but may be bad for your citrus plants.

Ian

←

Edited September 23, 2005 by JasonTrue (log)

[inespm]

I use it for ice cream... vanilla and sichuan peppercorns ice cream, taste good with chocolate cake

[Austin]

I was in Yunan (south of Sichuan) last year and brought home some Sichuan pepper and some of Yunan's wonderful smoked ham to make a dish a dish I had several times while there. Basically, you just fry the fatty smoked ham in a copious amount of oil, add dried chilies and the Sichuan pepper, and then follow with bell pepper. garlic, ginger, onion and soy sauce. Amazing...

Austin