The Szechuan peppercorn is back after a long-term ban

The Szechuan peppercorn is an essential ingredient in Szechuan cooking. Its numbing spiciness is surprising for those new to the cuisine. The Szechuan peppercorn is an essential ingredient in Szechuan cooking. Its numbing spiciness is surprising for those new to the cuisine. Photo: Meryl Schenker/Seattle Post-Intelligencer Photo: Meryl Schenker/Seattle Post-Intelligencer Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close The Szechuan peppercorn is back after a long-term ban 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

Descriptions of Szechuan peppercorns could apply to a drug as easily as a spice.

The peppercorn smell is wild and perfumed, and the taste is electric. Devotees swear it's both addictive and medicinal. It literally numbs the mouth, but also imparts a woodsy hint of pine and cedar, and an intoxicating touch of acid sweetness, like a lemon soda.

The ingredient -- technically the dry berry husk of the prickly ash tree -- was banned by the U.S. government for years, even seized from local store shelves for fear it could spread a canker to citrus trees.

Even during the ban years (1968 to 2005, with the most serious crackdown near the end) those in the know found ways to get a Szechuan peppercorn supply. For those without a source, though, their relevant recipes were bleak. But now, with a minimal amount of legwork, the opportunity is open to anyone interested in taking that gateway bite of authentic flavor.

"It's different than hot," said Chengdu native Ming Liao, manager of Bamboo Garden restaurant in Bellevue, which specializes in Szechuan food. "Also, it's spicy -- but different than spicy."

The restaurant goes through nearly a pound of the peppercorns a day, said owner Stacy Zhong. It's no surprise, given the peppercorn's central role in the kitchen.

The spice is "as integral to Szechuan cuisine as salt and pepper is to Western food," said food writer Diana Kuan in an e-mail to the P-I. Kuan is currently in southern China for her "Appetite for China" blog.

"A typical meal may start with cucumber salad and cold noodle dishes flavored with Szechuan pepper," she writes. "The main dishes could include 'mouth-watering chicken' bathed in Szechuan pepper oil, fish bathed in Szechuan pepper oil and chile peppers, noodles in a Szechuan pepper sauce, and green beans stir-fried with crushed Szechuan peppers. It's pretty much evident in every part of the meal, except the rice, beverages and fruit that's served for dessert."

The numbing spiciness is surprising for those new to the cuisine, she said, but easy to adapt to, and even to crave.

Physically, the compounds in the Szechuan (also spelled Sichuan) peppercorn as well as the related Japanese sansho "appear to act on several different kinds of nerve endings at once, induce sensitivity to touch and cold in nerves that are ordinarily nonsensitive, and so perhaps cause a kind of general neurological confusion," food scientist Harold McGee wrote in his classic book "On Food and Cooking." He compared the buzzing, numbing effect to touching the terminals of a nine-volt battery to the tongue.

In the Bamboo Garden kitchen, chef Mingjei Lee scatters the spice with a flourish over classic dishes such as ma po tofu and restaurant specialties such as Swimming Fire Fish, sometimes using it freshly toasted and ground to a fine powder, sometimes steeping the peppercorns in oil, sometimes opting to use them whole.

The oil has a stronger flavor, Lee said through a translator, while the toasted whole peppercorns have a more attractive odor. Almost always, he adds the ingredient in the final moments of preparing the dish to impart the maximum flavor and prevent the spice from burning. Most often, it's used in conjunction with chiles, creating a combination of spicy heat along with the peppercorn buzz.

"If it's just numbing," said Zhong, "it's not that interesting."

The peppercorns now found in the U.S. are legal if they have been heated to remove any risk of canker. It can still be hit or miss for retailers to find a reliable supply, though, said Jason Nakaya, central grocery manager at Uwajimaya.

On a recent visit, I found both whole and ground peppercorns on the shelves of the Seattle Uwajimaya, but Nakaya said it's always safest to call in advance and make sure they're in stock. He thinks vendors aren't always willing or able to comply with the new standards, making the supply chain spotty.

It takes time, when a product is gone for so long, to see a demand for markets to stock it again, said Gretchen Goehrend of Seattle-based spice purveyor India Tree. She's able to provide a regular wholesale supply, though, setting it up through a vendor who would "sign in blood" that the imports were treated to legal standards.

Goehrend once saw all her Szechuan peppercorns confiscated by federal inspectors when they were found on a shelf in the Midwest during the ban years, after what had been a loose and inconsistent rule turned into a serious crackdown. Investigators "came up here from Oklahoma, believe it or not," she said, to seize her peppercorns and try to track down her supplier.

She's glad to see the bud-shaped peppercorn making a comeback. It's an elegant spice, she said, a unique one that's "distinctively itself," yet also a great complement to other foods and other seasonings.

"A lot of people had been making Chinese five-spice powder without it," she said. "But it's not really Chinese five-spice (a blend of the peppercorn, star anise, cinnamon, clove and fennel) when you do that."

Szechuan peppercorns also are available at markets with a good selection of Asian ingredients, and at spice stores such as World Spice (1509 Western Ave.; worldspice.com) and online through Amazon.com and other sites.

MA PO TOFU

SERVES 2-3 AS A MAIN COURSE

1 block bean curd (about 1 pound)

4 baby leeks or two regular leeks (or a handful of scallions can be substituted)

1/2 cup peanut oil (as little as 3 tablespoons is OK if you want less oil)

6 ounces ground beef (ground pork, generally more common in Szechuan dishes, can be used instead)

2 1/2 tablespoons Szechuanese chili bean paste

1 tablespoon fermented black beans

2 teaspoons ground Szechuanese chiles (optional)

1 cup chicken stock

1 teaspoon white sugar

2 teaspoons light soy sauce

Salt to taste

4 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 6 tablespoons cold water

1/2 teaspoon ground roasted Szechuan pepper

Cut the bean curd into 1-inch cubes and leave to steep in very hot or gently simmering water that is lightly salted.

Slice the leeks at a steep angle into thin "horse ear"-shaped slices 1 1/2 inches long.

Season the wok, then add the peanut oil and heat over a high flame until smoking. (If using a pan, add the peanut oil and heat over high heat). Add the minced beef and stir-fry until it is crispy and a little brown, but not yet dry. Turn the heat down to medium, add the chili bean paste, and stir-fry for about 30 seconds, until the oil is a rich red color. Add the fermented black beans and ground chiles and stir-fry for another 20-30 seconds until they are both fragrant and the chiles have added their color to the oil. Pour in the stock, stir well, and add the drained bean curd. Mix it in gently by pushing the back of your ladle or wok scoop gently from the edges to the center of the wok or pan -- do not stir or the bean curd may break up. Season with the sugar, a couple of teaspoons of soy sauce, and salt to taste. Simmer for about 5 minutes, until the bean curd has absorbed the flavors of the sauce. Add the leeks or scallions and gently stir in. When they are just cooked, add the cornstarch mixture in 2 or 3 stages, mixing well, until the sauce has thickened enough to cling glossily to the meat and bean curd. Don't add more than you need. Finally, pour everything into a deep bowl, scatter with the ground Szechuan pepper, and serve with rice or vegetables.

From "Land of Plenty" by Fuchsia Dunlop

MAO DOU (SOYBEANS

IN THEIR PODS)

SERVES 4-6 AS A STARTER

About 1 pound frozen soybeans (edamame) in their pods

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon whole Szechuan peppercorn

Walnut-size piece of unpeeled fresh ginger, crushed

Put the frozen beans in a pan and cover generously with boiling water. Bring the water back to a boil, add the seasonings, and then simmer for 5-6 minutes. Drain and then refresh in cold running water. Serve at room temperature. (Tester's note: While the cooking pot emitted a marvelous fragrance for this dish, the pods in the end are only very lightly flavored. It's a good dish for getting a hint of the peppercorn without the full-on effect.)

From "Land of Plenty"

SZECHUAN CUCUMBER SALAD

SERVES 6-8 AS AN APPETIZER

1 large or 2 medium-size cucumbers, peeled

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons cooking oil, such as peanut or vegetable

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon Szechuan pepper, ground or whole, or substitute red chili flakes

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon sugar

1 or 2 teaspoons chili garlic paste

Cut the cucumber(s) in half lengthwise, then cut each half again so you have quartered strips. Cut or scoop out the seedy middle section. Slice each strip into 1-inch cubes. Put the cucumbers in a bowl, and toss with salt. Set aside for 5-10 minutes, as the salt draws out excess moisture from the cucumbers.

Heat a small pan on medium-low heat. Add cooking oil, then add garlic and Szechuan pepper. Cook until fragrant, but be careful to not to let the garlic burn. Set aside in a small dish to cool.

Drain the cucumbers through a strainer or sieve, and return them to the bowl.

In a separate bowl, mix the rice vinegar, sesame oil, sugar and chili garlic paste. Pour the mixture over the cucumbers. Add in the garlic and pepper that was cooling, and mix well. Serve at room temperature, or chill in the refrigerator for up to a day to serve cold.

Courtesy of Diana Kuan, appetiteforchina.com