4 ms·

> you still need properly prepared and relatively fresh husks to get the effect In the UK here. I've found that any old bag of dried, ground, Sichuan pepper, o

> you still need properly prepared and relatively fresh husks to get the effect In the UK here. I've found that any old bag of dried, ground, Sichuan pepper, or dried Sichuan pepper corns that you grind yourself, will cause the effect. No need for 'proper preparation' or freshness, just sprinkle Sichuan pepper on the food. The pepper is greenish in colour. Just add liberally and you'll get the numbness.

BashiBazouk 4y ago
I bought a jar from my local high end gourmet market and got nothing from them. Then bought some off Penzeys and not only do I get the numbing effect but the husks have an intense fruity flavor that is not present in the other brand.
- alisonatwork 4y ago
  There are two different kinds - red and green. The red ones are the ones you usually find in dried format, and imo they aren't very numbing unless you really crush up a lot of them. The green ones tend to have more fruitiness and numbing power, especially if you can get them fresh. Otherwise it's probably easier to just buy the pre-seasoned oil.
  - resoluteteeth 4y ago
    > There are two different kinds - red and green. The red ones are the ones you usually find in dried format, and imo they aren't very numbing unless you really crush up a lot of them. The green ones tend to have more fruitiness and numbing power, especially if you can get them fresh. Otherwise it's probably easier to just buy the pre-seasoned oil. The red ones are the ones that are normally used in Sichuan cooking and they are plenty numbing. The green ones (from a slightly different species) are more common in Japanese cooking You don't really want to substitute them for each other.
    - alisonatwork 4y ago
      I don't know enough about Japanese cooking to comment extensively on that, but I do know that there is an ingredient called sanshō that looks similar to green Sichuan peppers. That is not the ingredient I am talking about. From my observations living in China, shopping at wet markets and eating in restaurants, green Sichuan pepper is quite commonly used. Both red and green variants are sold in dry format, but the red ones are the ones you will find more often pre-packaged in supermarkets. They do both work to create a numbing sensation, but in my opinion, the green ones get you more bang for your buck.
      - resoluteteeth 4y ago
        It seems like you're right and they're different; there are apparently a whole bunch of different species. Sansho is Zanthoxylum piperitum and green sichuan pepper apparently may be Zanthoxylum armatum, so red sichuan pepper, green sichuan pepper, and sansho may all be different species. There is also Zanthoxylum schinifolium which is apparently used in Korean "Sancho".
nemetroid 4y ago
I recently opened a bag of Sichuan pepper bought from a street vendor in Sichuan fifteen years ago. Still highly potent, more so than the stuff carried by local import stores.
dumb1224 4y ago
We don't usually eat them raw as it is just like peppercorns. The common treatment is to pour heated oil (a higher smoking one) over it to excite its flavour. Still numbing though if you happen to chew one.
bamboozled 4y ago
Same experience here.

BashiBazouk 4y ago

I bought a jar from my local high end gourmet market and got nothing from them. Then bought some off Penzeys and not only do I get the numbing effect but the husks have an intense fruity flavor that is not present in the other brand.

alisonatwork 4y ago
There are two different kinds - red and green. The red ones are the ones you usually find in dried format, and imo they aren't very numbing unless you really crush up a lot of them. The green ones tend to have more fruitiness and numbing power, especially if you can get them fresh. Otherwise it's probably easier to just buy the pre-seasoned oil.
- resoluteteeth 4y ago
  > There are two different kinds - red and green. The red ones are the ones you usually find in dried format, and imo they aren't very numbing unless you really crush up a lot of them. The green ones tend to have more fruitiness and numbing power, especially if you can get them fresh. Otherwise it's probably easier to just buy the pre-seasoned oil. The red ones are the ones that are normally used in Sichuan cooking and they are plenty numbing. The green ones (from a slightly different species) are more common in Japanese cooking You don't really want to substitute them for each other.
  - alisonatwork 4y ago
    I don't know enough about Japanese cooking to comment extensively on that, but I do know that there is an ingredient called sanshō that looks similar to green Sichuan peppers. That is not the ingredient I am talking about. From my observations living in China, shopping at wet markets and eating in restaurants, green Sichuan pepper is quite commonly used. Both red and green variants are sold in dry format, but the red ones are the ones you will find more often pre-packaged in supermarkets. They do both work to create a numbing sensation, but in my opinion, the green ones get you more bang for your buck.
    - resoluteteeth 4y ago
      It seems like you're right and they're different; there are apparently a whole bunch of different species. Sansho is Zanthoxylum piperitum and green sichuan pepper apparently may be Zanthoxylum armatum, so red sichuan pepper, green sichuan pepper, and sansho may all be different species. There is also Zanthoxylum schinifolium which is apparently used in Korean "Sancho".

nemetroid 4y ago

I recently opened a bag of Sichuan pepper bought from a street vendor in Sichuan fifteen years ago. Still highly potent, more so than the stuff carried by local import stores.

dumb1224 4y ago

We don't usually eat them raw as it is just like peppercorns. The common treatment is to pour heated oil (a higher smoking one) over it to excite its flavour. Still numbing though if you happen to chew one.

bamboozled 4y ago

Same experience here.