The dried husks of prickly ash trees in the citrus family. Sichuan pepper tastes of lemon and pine and produces a tingling numbness, the 'ma' of Sichuan's famous numbing-hot flavour.
What it is¶
Sichuan pepper is not a pepper. It is the dried outer husk of the small fruits of several Zanthoxylum shrubs and trees, often called prickly ash, which belong to the citrus family. When ripe, the fruits split open like tiny seed pods to reveal a hard, shiny black seed. The husk carries the flavour; the seed is gritty and flavourless and is best removed.
The two main culinary types are:
| Type | Chinese name | Species | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Sichuan pepper | hua jiao (flower pepper) | Z. bungeanum | Warm, woody, floral, strongly numbing |
| Green Sichuan pepper | qing hua jiao or teng jiao | Z. armatum and others | Sharper, lime-like, grassy, intensely numbing |
Relatives include Japanese sanshō (Z. piperitum), Nepali and Tibetan timur (Z. armatum), Korean chopi, and teppal or tirphal (Z. rhetsa), used in the fish curries of India's Konkan coast.
Origins and history¶
Prickly ash has been used in China for thousands of years; it was a key flavouring long before chillies reached Asia in the sixteenth century. It was a symbol of fertility, because of the number of seeds, and it perfumed palaces as well as food. Once chillies arrived and took root in Sichuan, the combination of ma (numbing) from prickly ash and la (hot) from chilli became the defining flavour of sichuan cuisine: mala.
Hanyuan county in Sichuan is renowned for its red pepper, historically sent to the imperial court as tribute. In the United States imports were banned from 1968 to 2005, because the plants can carry citrus canker, a bacterial disease threatening citrus orchards. The ban was lifted on condition that the spice is heat-treated, and Sichuan pepper has since become widely available in the West.
Flavour and aroma¶
The aroma is bright and citrusy, with lemon, lime or grapefruit notes, plus pine and a woody, floral warmth. The famous sensation comes from hydroxy-alpha-sanshool, which acts on touch and temperature receptors in the lips and tongue and produces a buzzing, tingling numbness, often compared to a mild electric current or the fizz of sherbet. It is not heat: Sichuan pepper has none of chilli's burn. See sanshool and tingling.
The numbing effect lets chilli heat be felt differently, which is part of why the two are so often paired.
In the kitchen¶
Prepare it properly and the difference is enormous.
- Pick it over: remove the black seeds and any twigs or thorns. Good-quality pepper has few.
- Toast: heat the husks in a dry pan over a low to medium heat for 2–3 minutes, stirring, until fragrant and just darkening. Do not let them smoke.
- Grind in a pestle and mortar or spice grinder and sieve out the husky fibres if you want a fine powder.
Classic uses include:
- Mapo tofu: finished with a generous scattering of toasted ground pepper.
- Kung pao chicken: whole husks fried with dried chillies at the start.
- Dan dan noodles and Sichuan cold dishes such as mouth-watering chicken.
- Chongqing hotpot: handfuls of whole husks in the chilli-laden broth.
- Sichuan pepper salt: toast 1 tbsp husks with 3 tbsp sea salt, grind and use as a dip for fried foods.
- Chilli oil: essential in chilli crisp and most versions of Sichuan chilli oil; see making chilli oil.
It is one of the components of chinese five spice and of Japanese shichimi togarashi (in the form of sanshō).
💡 Whole or ground
Whole husks fried in oil at the start of cooking flavour the oil and are usually left in the dish. Ground pepper added at the end delivers the strongest tingle.
Buying and storing¶
Buy from Chinese grocers or spice merchants with good turnover; it should be a vivid reddish-brown (or green), highly fragrant, split open, and largely free of seeds. Whole husks keep for a year or so in an airtight jar in a cool, dark place; green Sichuan pepper fades faster. Ground Sichuan pepper loses its aroma and tingle within weeks, so grind as needed. See storing spices.
Substitutes¶
- Japanese sanshō: the closest substitute, slightly more citrusy.
- Nepali timur: essentially green Sichuan pepper.
- There is no true substitute for the numbing effect. For aroma alone, black pepper with a little lemon zest, or a little ground coriander seed, will stand in.
Pairs well with¶
Chillies, especially chilli flakes and dried Sichuan chillies; ginger, garlic, spring onion, star anise, cassia, fennel seed, sesame, soy sauce, black vinegar, pork, beef, lamb, tofu and aubergine.
Health and safety¶
Sichuan pepper is safe in culinary amounts. The numbing sensation is harmless and passes within minutes. Its botanical relationship to citrus is not generally considered relevant to citrus allergies, but anyone with a known allergy to Zanthoxylum should avoid it.