Sichuan Peppercorn

Sichuan Peppercorn

Sichuan pepper’s unique aroma and flavour is not hot or pungent like black, white, or chili peppers. Instead, it has slight lemony overtones and creates a tingly numbness, known as ‘ma-la’, in the mouth and sets the stage for hot spices.

Recipes often suggest lightly toasting the tiny seed pods, then crushing them before adding them to food. Only the husks are used; the shiny black seeds are discarded or ignored as they have a very gritty sand-like texture. The spice is generally added at the last moment.

Sichuan pepper is also available as an oil. In this form, it is best used in stir-fry noodle dishes without hot spices. A recipe may include ginger oil and brown sugar cooked with a base of noodles and vegetables, then rice vinegar and Sichuan pepper oil are added after cooking.

A mixture of salt and Sichuan pepper, known as hua jiao yan is toasted and browned in a wok and served as a condiment to accompany chicken, duck, and pork dishes.

Sichuan peppercorn is also a common flavouring in Sichuan baked goods such as sweetened cakes and biscuits.