CHINESE CUISINE’S SECRET WEAPON

cuisine, but also a secret weapon that brings vibrancy to the simplest dishes.

Take green vegetables as an example. Frying a few Sichuan peppercorns in oil prior to adding the vegetables can boost the flavor significantly. Although you don’t actually eat the peppercorns, the fragrance lingers in the vegetables.

“Sichuan peppercorns are essential in everyday cooking, I think a few of them can make a big difference in the flavor of the dishes, and I’m addicted to the numbing sensation in Sichuan-style cooking that’s created by the peppercorns. It brings more depth and makes ordinary foods more interesting,” said Wu Li, who loves to cook with Sichuan peppercorns.

Sichuan peppercorns are often incorporated in sauces, brines and marinades to enhance flavor as well as removing any undesired smell and taste in meats and fish.

Though Sichuan peppercorns are among the oldest spices used by Chinese people, in the beginning they weren’t used in cooking.

The ‘money tree’

The earliest record of Sichuan peppercorns was in “Shijing,” the “Classic of Poetry” dating from the 11th to 7th centuries BC. During which time they were used as a token of affection.

In the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046-771 BC), Sichuan peppercorns were mostly used in rituals and worship ceremonies as well as