Avoiding grittiness with sichuan pepper
I've got a big bag of Sichuan pepper but I've often found that when I cook with them it's difficult to avoid grittiness from the outer kernel. I don't have this problem when I visit Sichuan Chinese restaurants and the pepper was bought from a big Asian supermarket.
What do I need to do to prepare them to avoid the grittiness? Is it really as fiddly as picking out the peppercorn from each kernel or is there something simpler that I need to do?
Best Answer
Grind your peppercorns in a spice grinder, then put them in a large, fine meshed sieve and tap them over a large bowl. The spice will fall through and the husks will stay in the sieve. Should take about 5 minutes max.
Alternatively, buy them pre-ground.
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Are Sichuan peppercorns numbing?
When you eat chillies, capsaicin induces a burning sensation known in Chinese as l\xe0. Sichuan peppercorns produce a phenomenon called paraesthesia, in which the lips and tongue feel as though they are vibrating and go vaguely numb \u2013 known as m\xe1.Why was Sichuan peppercorn banned?
The Sichuan peppercorn is a case in point. Since 1968 it has been illegal to import this spice, the dried berry of the prickly ash tree, because it might pose a threat to the American citrus industry. The trees can harbor a canker, harmless to humans but contagious among plants and for which there is no known cure.Are Sichuan peppercorns addictive?
Descriptions of Szechuan peppercorns could apply to a drug as easily as a spice. The peppercorn smell is wild and perfumed, and the taste is electric. Devotees swear it's both addictive and medicinal.Can you be allergic to Sichuan peppercorns?
Associated Syndromes. Sichuan pepper is not currently associated with any allergic syndromes.More answers regarding avoiding grittiness with sichuan pepper
Answer 2
Yes. The grittiness is completely due to the peppercorn. Remove it. Usually only the husk is used.
Answer 3
Fry whole peppercorns in oil, discard the peppercorns and use the oil. Saves for a few days in fridge with diminished quality.
Answer 4
Unfortunately for you, it looks as if you bought one of the cheaper made products that does not remove the seed from the husk. I agree that removing them one by one by hand could be fiddly work! There are three suggestions to fix this though.
You can leave them in the sun for an afternoon and the pods will open up nicely and usually will drop the black fruit by themselves than you can you a properly sized mesh strainer to sieve them and get your leftover husks quite easily!
Leave them as-is and simply bundle them in a bit of cheese-cloth then add them to your dish. When finished cooking simply remove the bundle and their essence will be imparted in the dish (however, the fun of eating the husk and it's inherent tingling/numbing sensation might be lost, but the flavor should remain!
Source them more carefully next time. I suggest buying from an online spice dealer to maximize the quality and freshness that you want.
Answer 5
Yup, just checked the berry, hull is flavorful and grinds easy but the black center is pure shiny grit. Learned this the hard way after an otherwise great dish.
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