Using Szechuan peppercorns


 
Julien Gallant

Julien Gallant

TVWBB Member
Hey everyone this is my first post. Great site! I was wondering if anyone has used Szechwan peppercorns enough to give me an idea how much I should use in a recipe.

I'm thinking of making Asian style ribs from "how to grill" by Steve Raichlen. I want to add some freshly toasted & ground szechuan but I have never used the stuff. Thanks in advance.

Here is the recipe if anyone is interested:

Asian-Flavored Baby Back Ribs

Note from Moderator: Fixed the link.
 
Does Raichlen give a quantity of Szechuan peppercorns to use? A lot depends on how they will be used. They can be a dominating flavor or part of a mixed chorus.

Szechuan or Szechwan (spelling varies) peppercorns have very little heat but are quite aromatic. You can add them to a marinade or a sauce, or just sprinkle them onto the ribs in a rub.

I make a handy Asian-Style peppercorn mix that I keep in a small grinder: 1 part whole black peppercorns, 1 part whole white peppercorns, and 1 1/3 to 1 1/2 parts Szechuan peppercorns. I grate it into a simple vinaigrette made with rice vinegar, grind it into stir-frys, etc. where I want a little boost in flavor, in soups, and in almost anything else you can think of.

Welcome to the group!
Rita
 
hey Rita, thanks for the reply. Raichlen does not have Szechuan peppercorns in his recipe. The recipe was attached to my original post and is pretty much just an Asian style marinade. I was thinking of adding them to the recipe for fun. It seems like few people have experience with this elusive spice. I will play around with it and see what I come up with.
 
Welcome Julien,

As Rita notes, the Szechuan peper corns don't have a lot of heat, in your recipe, the Thai chiles will provide that. I would substitute the black pepper with the Szechuan pepper (equal amounts).

The elusiveness of the spice is due to an FDA ban placed on the peppercorns for many years. The peppercorns carried a citrus canker that was harmful to citrus trees.

Paul
 
Thanks for the reply Paul. My biggest worry was that I would drop a tablespoon in and it might be way to much. Some spices (like parsley) can be forgiving if you are a bit heavy handed. The ground hot pepper powder I make from my garden... not so forgiving! I'll try a few teaspoons this time and adjust as needed in the future.
 
Whenever I am doing a shrimp boil, I add about 2 tablsspoons of these peppercorns to the mix - great flavor addition without too much heat.

Ray
 
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