Szechuan pepper comes from the dried berry of a prickly ash tree native to China. It is a member of the citrus family. You may have tried it as one of the ingredients in Chinese five-spice powder. If you don’t remember seeing it in the past, it was because it was banned in the US for almost forty years, because it could carry a bacteria considered harmful by the citrus industry. The ban was lifted several years ago and now you have no excuse to exclude it from your spice rack.
The reddish Szechuan pepper you buy in stores should not contain the gritty kernel or seed. Instead, the flavor comes from the shell that surrounds it. Along with its citrus flavor, it has some spiciness to it. Chewing on one often will numb your tongue and you’ll be amazed at the variety of flavors as you nibble on it. It can range from bitter and woody to smoky, but it’s unlike any other pepper you’ve ever tasted. Combining it with ginger was China’s answer to chili peppers, before they were discovered in the New World. In Japan they prefer the dried and ground leaves of the tree into a spice called sancho. They even make mortars out of the tree to add more flavor to the ground spice.
It is the perfect seasoning to flavor a batch of stew. Cut up some leftover tomatoes from the garden, add a can of northern white beans, some cooked hot Italian sausage, and cooked barley. Let everything simmer for a while in your slow cooker. Grind in a mixture of Szechuan peppers and fennel seeds. Wow, you can hear your body thanking you for treating it so well. Use these peppers instead of salt. It’s like sprinkling vitamins and minerals on food.
Due to its unusual flavor and lack of real heat compared to chili peppers, you might find an interesting contrast in sweet desserts. Try adding it to a gooey chocolate brownie or white chocolate biscotti. If you want to spice up your average stuffing or dressing, try some of these peppers. In fact, you can enhance any standard meal in your repertoire by adding these flavor enhancers. They are great with turkey, lamb, fish, chicken, duck, and steak. Add them to your favorite marinade or toss them sparingly over a salad. Sauté them with mushrooms.
Szechuan peppers will get hotter the longer they cook, so use them sparingly at first. You may want to avoid them altogether, if you are pregnant or prone to stomach ulcers. For more flavor, you can dry roast them before grinding them into your dish. You can combine them with curry, ginger, fennel, star anise, honey, garlic and onion. Look for them in stores with different spellings, including Szechwan and Sichuan. They are also called fagara or anise pepper.
Whether you consider yourself a connoisseur of spices and herbs or not, you owe the unique pleasure of this tantalizing condiment.