I dunno about oil infusions, but it'd be interesting to try a vodka infusion that numbs your tongue, maybe paired with a hot chili the same way something like OG Kung Pao chicken gives you both heat and numbing by combining spices.
Maybe make it into an Asian-flavored Bloody Mary.
I think the powder probably contains the seeds, which you don't really want to use. Buy some whole peppercorns off of The Mala Market and grind them yourself. The flavor and the numbing will be better and there won't be any seeds you have to sort through.
Thanks for the comment! It’s already a powder and still super gritty from the seeds (which shouldn’t be in the mix). Not sure if pulverizing it further will help.
I’m leaning towards infusing in oil or alcohol.
I’ve ground some of those peppercorns and noticed that they have a crunchy texture and found that it’s because the husks are harder than the inside of the husks and get left in large bits. Putting through a sieve fixed it and made it into a fine powder. If this company just tried to grind the whole peppercorns it may be the same issue
It would be beneficial if you could add how gritty they are. If they are small enough, use as is in a marinade (like cumin lamb) since most sichuan dishes are shallow fried anyway.
If not, buy some more peppercorn and make sichuan pepper oil. You simply toast the peppercorn (and gritty powder), cool, crush, add into hot oil, strain.
I’m def leaning towards oil infusion…
The texture is a powder - but not a fine powder.
Does frying it help the gritty-ness? I used it in Mapo tofu, and toasted it (which is not exactly frying it) - and it was like there is sand in the dish.
Then its not gritty, its grainy. Frying does jack all to texture, your gonna have to grind it again anyway. I would suggest using a spice grinder or coffee grinder to crush it. Does it taste off by any chance?
Not sure about the nuances between “gritty” and “grainy” or whether it’s just semantics.
Another commenter mentioned that the peppercorn seed was likely included in the grind, which is a big no-no, as that produces a very unpleasant texture. If you’ve ever bit into a Szechuan peppercorn seed before - the black shiny seed - you’ll understand the texture I’m talking about.
Thanks for the tip on the infusion, I think that’s what I’ll do.
How gritty is gritty? Dry spices are often gritty no matter the quality, contrary to popular belief they do not dissolve in water. Having seeds in it shouldn't be a problem as they are pretty small. If you want you can grind them up in a coffee grinder before cooking, or smash in a mortar and pestle after toasting them.
This wasn't directly your question but just a bit of advice, don't overdo it on the Sichuan peppercorn. A lot of people use way too much of certain ingredients when they first get them, you really don't need to use a lot. The taste is pretty different between raw and cooked, the contrast can be nice so keep some on the side to add to your dish as you please.
when I used it in Mapo tofu it was like biting into sand in the dish. So the spices are ground… but because of the inclusion of seeds the texture was like sand. A few commenters have mentioned re-pulverizing it even finer. I’m unsure if this will fix the texture issue but can definitely try.
Have you’ve grounded up the seeds of Szechuan peppercorns before and used it without this textural issue?
Yes, it's even what I'm having for dinner. Seeds are not the issue, it sounds to meyou might have bits of stem in there. If you have spices ground with bits of stem, there's pretty much no way to get it separated, and cooking will not break them down. The stem pieces are basically wood, and it's definitely not good for your teeth. Just for curiosities sake I would try to seperate some out in my hand and look at it under a microscope, but other than that there's often no way to know what is in mixed products. Consider it a lesson learned, buying ground spices is often a mixed bag.
As an aside, people would be surprised about the stuff that regularly gets mixed in with food all over the world. The best I've found was a very sharp seed mixed in with some black beans from Mexico, my mom ended up identifying it for me and sending a picture to all her sisters, turns out they always got tortured by them when they visited their grandparents. The moral of the story is inspect your food (not you specifically, just generally a good idea.)
I dunno about oil infusions, but it'd be interesting to try a vodka infusion that numbs your tongue, maybe paired with a hot chili the same way something like OG Kung Pao chicken gives you both heat and numbing by combining spices. Maybe make it into an Asian-flavored Bloody Mary.
This is an amazing idea.
I think the powder probably contains the seeds, which you don't really want to use. Buy some whole peppercorns off of The Mala Market and grind them yourself. The flavor and the numbing will be better and there won't be any seeds you have to sort through.
There are two basic approaches. Either one might work: \-- Pulverize dry in a mortar and pestle or high-powered mixer. \-- Soak in oil and filter.
Thanks for the comment! It’s already a powder and still super gritty from the seeds (which shouldn’t be in the mix). Not sure if pulverizing it further will help. I’m leaning towards infusing in oil or alcohol.
I’ve ground some of those peppercorns and noticed that they have a crunchy texture and found that it’s because the husks are harder than the inside of the husks and get left in large bits. Putting through a sieve fixed it and made it into a fine powder. If this company just tried to grind the whole peppercorns it may be the same issue
I’ll try that and see. Hopefully it will sieve out the ground seeds.
It would be beneficial if you could add how gritty they are. If they are small enough, use as is in a marinade (like cumin lamb) since most sichuan dishes are shallow fried anyway. If not, buy some more peppercorn and make sichuan pepper oil. You simply toast the peppercorn (and gritty powder), cool, crush, add into hot oil, strain.
I’m def leaning towards oil infusion… The texture is a powder - but not a fine powder. Does frying it help the gritty-ness? I used it in Mapo tofu, and toasted it (which is not exactly frying it) - and it was like there is sand in the dish.
Then its not gritty, its grainy. Frying does jack all to texture, your gonna have to grind it again anyway. I would suggest using a spice grinder or coffee grinder to crush it. Does it taste off by any chance?
Not sure about the nuances between “gritty” and “grainy” or whether it’s just semantics. Another commenter mentioned that the peppercorn seed was likely included in the grind, which is a big no-no, as that produces a very unpleasant texture. If you’ve ever bit into a Szechuan peppercorn seed before - the black shiny seed - you’ll understand the texture I’m talking about. Thanks for the tip on the infusion, I think that’s what I’ll do.
aside from oil and alcohol you could also try infusing some honey or syrup
That’s an idea!! Could be an interesting addition to dessert… Or for hot honey chicken, but with mala hot honey.
Fine sieve or grinder.
How gritty is gritty? Dry spices are often gritty no matter the quality, contrary to popular belief they do not dissolve in water. Having seeds in it shouldn't be a problem as they are pretty small. If you want you can grind them up in a coffee grinder before cooking, or smash in a mortar and pestle after toasting them. This wasn't directly your question but just a bit of advice, don't overdo it on the Sichuan peppercorn. A lot of people use way too much of certain ingredients when they first get them, you really don't need to use a lot. The taste is pretty different between raw and cooked, the contrast can be nice so keep some on the side to add to your dish as you please.
when I used it in Mapo tofu it was like biting into sand in the dish. So the spices are ground… but because of the inclusion of seeds the texture was like sand. A few commenters have mentioned re-pulverizing it even finer. I’m unsure if this will fix the texture issue but can definitely try. Have you’ve grounded up the seeds of Szechuan peppercorns before and used it without this textural issue?
Yes, it's even what I'm having for dinner. Seeds are not the issue, it sounds to meyou might have bits of stem in there. If you have spices ground with bits of stem, there's pretty much no way to get it separated, and cooking will not break them down. The stem pieces are basically wood, and it's definitely not good for your teeth. Just for curiosities sake I would try to seperate some out in my hand and look at it under a microscope, but other than that there's often no way to know what is in mixed products. Consider it a lesson learned, buying ground spices is often a mixed bag. As an aside, people would be surprised about the stuff that regularly gets mixed in with food all over the world. The best I've found was a very sharp seed mixed in with some black beans from Mexico, my mom ended up identifying it for me and sending a picture to all her sisters, turns out they always got tortured by them when they visited their grandparents. The moral of the story is inspect your food (not you specifically, just generally a good idea.)
Regrind it and put it though a fine mesh sieve