anyone cook with szechuan peppercorns?
i got some szechuan peppercorns from penzey's and would really appreciate some suggestions for cooking with them, preferably vegetarian. thanks!
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10 Comments:
Candy or Ice Cream perhaps??
http://www.fuchsiadunlop.com/a-world-first/
More practically though, read through through Fuchsia Dunlop's books: 'Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper: A Sweet-Sour Memoir of Eating in China' or 'Land of Plenty/Sichuan Cookery' for a bunch of background info and recipes.
Bob Ferrapuhls at 11:41PM on 10/14/09
I use them in conjunction with other peppercorns in my grinder. also, they're lovely when you add a few to stock or soup.
suegsf at 3:49AM on 10/15/09
I grind them and use them when I prepare Asian dishes. They had disappeared from the scene for years because they were banned her in the US.
therealchiffonade at 7:20AM on 10/15/09
Toast the peppercorns first with some salt, (i do 2 parts pepper, 1 part salt, toast over med heat in a dry pan until fragrant) then grind to a powder . Then sprinkle over everything (I like it over roasted or baked potatoes. and french fries. and eggs. and sauteed garlic/spinach. and soup.)
lorelei76 at 12:21PM on 10/15/09
In traditional sichuan cuisine, many dishes begin by heating oil, dumping a bunch of peppercorns in to flavor the oil, then discarding them. At the end, toasted ground peppercorns are then sprinkled over the top. Check out a recipe I adapted from FuLoon restaurant in Malden MA here:
http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/food/articles/2009/05/06/mapo_tofu/
J. Kenji Lopez-Alt at 12:47PM on 10/15/09
my fuschia dunlop book is being held hostage by a friend who keeps conveniently forgetting to return it.
@lorelei, will do, many thanks. i can finally put that mortar and pestle into action! how long will the powder keep?
cybercita at 12:48PM on 10/15/09
just checked out that boston.com link. that recipe looks wonderful! thanks!
cybercita at 12:49PM on 10/15/09
@cybercita - I've made small batches and ground for immediate or nearly immediate use. And yay for the mortar/pestle - that's what I use to pound up my sichuan pepper salt.
I had a baggie of the stuff that I kept around for one month, and it was still quite good (not as pungent/ma la as when I'd toasted fresh, but it actually worked out for me as I was sprinkling it over poached eggs.)
lorelei76 at 3:00PM on 10/15/09
I second the szechuan peppercorn salt, it makes a fantastic condiment on lots of dishes. As mentioned, be sure to toast the peppercorns first. In traditional szechuan cuisine, it should be used in conjunction with spicy chiles to create a flavor called "ma la", loosely translated as numbing and hot. The peppercorns numb your lips and mouth a bit to make the intense heat more bearable. A favorite, although less traditional, preparation of mine is to use the salt and rub a chicken with it, outside and under the skin, then roast it. Reserve a little salt for dipping - phenomenal. For a more traditional use, try stir frying some green beans - throw some oil in a pan on medium heat, add some crushed garlic, dried chiles, and peppercorns, cook for a minute, remove the peppercorns, put the heat to high, throw in the green beans and stir fry. Sprinkle some ground peppercorns on with salt if you like. Quick and tasty!
Airegin at 3:39PM on 10/15/09
I gotten rave reviews for my ma la beef jerky.
Lorenzo at 3:03PM on 10/16/09