I’ve always heard about this but never got the chance to cook with them. Oh, by the way, if you’re here for the link to this product, here it is. This is the same one I used in the video. Ok, now I can yap away with no guilty conscience. When I first tried these, nothing really happened. I thought they were supposed to be unbearably spicy because the name suggested that. And, they’re not at all. The oils in the pepper have a nerd compound that create a numbing sensation on your tongue (mostly in the back and on the sides of it), which opens it up to experience more flavours in a particular dish, according to Sichuan cuisine.
In Sichuanese cuisine, this is called the “Ma la wei”, where “Ma” means numbing spiciness, “la” means the typical spicy-hot from chilli peppers, and “wei” means flavour or taste. If you’re gonna store these, I suggest dry-roasting them first and storing them. I’ve heard that they keep well for 1-2 months, but I’m saying this without any personal experience.
1.) Chinese Five Spice
Ingredients:
- 1 Cinnamon Stick
- 2-3 Star anise
- 10-12 Cloves
- 1/2 tsp of Fennel seeds
- 1 1/2 tbsp of Sichuan Peppercorns
Procedure:
- Add all the spices to a hot frying pan and roast until aromatic (typically takes 2 mins).
- Once roasted, let them cool slightly and add them to a blender. Blend until it turns into a powder.
- This spice mix can be used in different stir-fries, curries, fried foods, batters, etc.
2.) Szechuan Sauce (McDonalds)
Ingredients:
- 60 gms of Sugar
- 120 gms of Water
- 1 tsp of chopped Garlic
- 1 tsp of chopped Ginger
- 3 tbsp of Apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp of Soy Sauce
- 2 tsp of Sichuan peppercorn powder
- 1 tsp of Chinese five-spice
- (optional) 1 tsp of MSG
- 1 tbsp Cornstarch + water (as required)
Procedure:
- Add all the ingredients to a saucepan except the cornstarch water, and bring it to a boil.
- Mix the cornstarch with some water until it dissolves completely in a separate bowl, and add it to the sauce until it thickens and is gloopy.
- Let it cool to thicken more, and use it as a dipping sauce for fried foods.
3.) Mapo Tofu....kinda (Vegan version)
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp of Sesame oil
- 2 dried red chillies (break into pieces)
- 1/4 cup of chopped Garlic
- 1/4 cup of chopped Ginger
- 1/4 cup of chopped Spring onion whites
- 1 cup of chopped Mushrooms
- 1 tbsp Gochujang
- 2 tbsp Red chilli sauce
- 1 tbsp Soy sauce
- 1 cup of water
- 100 gms of diced tofu
- 2 tsp Sichuan peppercorn powder
- (optional) 1 tsp MSG
- 4-5 Spring onion green stems
Procedure:
- Add the sesame oil to a hot pan. Add the dried red chillies and stir for a couple of seconds.
- Add the garlic, ginger, and spring onion whites. Fry for a few seconds, then add the mushrooms. Fry until really brown.
- Add the gochujang, red chilli sauce, and soy sauce. Mix until combined.
- Add the water and bring it to a boil. Add the tofu. Let the tofu cook, and let the sauce reduce until it thickens.
- Add Sichuan peppercorn powder, msg, and the spring onion green stems. Mix and take it off the heat.
- Serve with steaming hot rice.