Re: [CH] Szechuan spice
Porter Banister (porter9@concentric.net)
Mon, 8 Jun 1998 03:50:59 -0400
Scott Ashkenaz Wrote:
>A work acquaintance dropped off an odd spice. His parents brought it from
>China, and he claims that it is a spice "very characteristic of Szechuan
>cooking."
>Any idea what it is?
Yes. What you have are known simply as Szechuan Peppercorns. I bought mine
at the NYC gourmet store Dean&DeLuca. Comes in a very nice silver tin. The
better-stocked Oriental stores sell it too, sometimes loose, sometimes
packaged. They are used in Szechuan and other recipes to add a nice depth of
peppery spice. Works well in conjunction with dried chiles to provide a
multi-dimentional burn in Szechuan dishes.
Porter