Sichuan peppercorns

[dafox]

What meats, vegetables, and flavors do they pare best with? How do you use them? Where can you get the best ones?

 

[ma_sha1]

They are very strong, I use them for stew, in a spice mix, any meat. Not sure what’s the best but I get the brown or red not the green.

 

[Hassanbensober]

I like to make a rub with them and especially use them to crust fatty tuna loins for searing. Pairs very well with coriander imo. I get them from any Asian market very cheap. Very unique spice almost gives a sort of lingering irritant tingling tongue effect but in a good way. Nice with pork tenderloin as well.

 

[pistachio]

Eggplant (along with chilli, garlic, ginger, soy, bit of sesame oil)

 

[fimbulvetr]

I mix them 1::4 with salt and rub it all over duck beasts, skin-on chicken (thigh), or pork chops. Green ones are great with swordfish/Wreckfish/grouper.

 

[nutmeg]

I love it with nutmeg.

I bet Sichuan + nutmeg + saffron + lemon is badass

 

[rickbern]

Ma po tofu.

https://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/threads/vegan-cooking-mar-po-tofu.45257/

 

[boomchakabowwow]

briefly simmer them with chili oil and drizzle over a small bowl of steamed wontons.

 

[valgard]

What meats, vegetables, and flavors do they pare best with? How do you use them? Where can you get the best ones?

With some white fish. Sichuan boiled fish is amazing, get the green ones (although I use a 2/3 green 1/3 red mix).

 

[zizirex]

Water boiled beef (ShuiZhu NiuRou), a good dish for a winter day like this.

 

[A.Malcolm.ations]

They can be used in many things. I’m with val hard you n doing a higher amount of green to red. I also make sure to toast them because they become even more complex. You can find tons of recipes for traditional Szechuan dishes, but they can be used all over the place. I like it in homemade bbq sauce, Thai style salads like nam tok or larb, all the way to making a lemon, basil, and green peppercorn sorbet (very careful on the peppercorns in that one) just to name a few I’ve done fairly recently.

 

[Paraffin]

I have two small shakers of the stuff. One holds toasted, ground, and sifted Sichuan peppercorns for adding to Chinese meals. Usually the ones that are pretty hot with chilis for the classic numbing effect along with the heat.

The other shaker holds "Sichuan pepper salt." I think I got the recipe in one of Fuchsia Dunlop's books. It's 50/50 kosher salt and raw peppercorns by volume, toasted together until the salt starts to turn amber-colored and the peppercorns just barely start to smoke. Then cooled and ground together in a spice grinder, and put through a fine mesh sifter to remove pepper husks. So you get both salt and the "fizz" from one shaker. Really good on scrambled eggs, fish, all sorts of things.

I get the peppercorns from this source here in the USA, they carry some other good stuff too: https://themalamarket.com/