Sichuan Peppercorn, 花椒 (huā jiāo), is a unique spice that creates the numbing sensation closely associated with Sichuan province and its iconic cuisine. Together with red chili pepper, Sichuan peppercorn creates the addictive spicy-numb flavor profile, known as 麻辣 (málà) in Chinese. As an ingredient it is absolutely essential in Sichuan cooking, and it is very useful in other regional Chinese cooking.
In this post, I’ll tell you more about Sichuan peppercorn, why I love it, how to get it, and how to use it to make the most flavorful food you’ve ever cooked!
What is Sichuan Peppercorn?
Sichuan peppercorn is a spice made from the split husk of the berry of the prickly ash shrub. When whole, the berries have a similar appearance to black peppercorns, hence the name, but Sichuan peppercorn is not directly related to black or white pepper.
There are two main types of Sichuan peppercorns, green and red, and they come from different species of prickly ash.
Alternatively, Sichuan peppercorn may be called Sichuan pepper, Chinese pepper, or Chinese prickly ash. And “Sichuan” may be romanized as “Szechuan” or “Szechwan”.
How is Sichuan Peppercorn Produced?
The Chinese prickly ash shrub is native to western China and the Himalayas, though it is abundantly cultivated nowadays for peppercorn production.
The prickly ash berries grow during summer and become ripe around the arrival of autumn, turning a pink-red color. (The green variety does not change color.)
The berries are dried in the sun and the seeds inside them are removed.
What does Sichuan Peppercorn Taste Like?
Sichuan peppercorns, whether red or green, have a bright, citrusy and floral aroma and flavor. Red Sichuan pepper tends to have strong undertones of cedar, while the green one has some mint and lemongrass to its profile.
Once eaten, the pepper explodes, with a vibrant tingling sensation throughout the mouth. This sensation makes the rest of the ingredients take on a new character as well. This indescribable new flavor may confuse your taste buds at first, but it quickly becomes impossible to resist.
The peppercorn is often included in dishes with lots of chili peppers and other intense spices, and the peppercorn somehow elevates them all. You’ll feel your mouth burning and your heart accelerating, and you’ll just want to keep eating!
How to Use Sichuan Peppercorn
Sichuan peppercorns can be used in all sorts of Chinese cooking, from veggie stir fries, to noodle sauces, to spicy hot pot, to poached and roasted fish. They can lend a huge tingly-numbing essence or simply add some lovely complexity, depending how much you use.
It is a very versatile ingredient, as it goes really nicely with other Chinese flavors. But it is important to cook the peppercorns properly, to release and disperse their fragrance and numbing essence effectively.
To unleash their full potential, Sichuan peppercorn should generally either be:
- Toasted, in a skillet, for example, and then ground into powder and used as garnish, or
- Infused or sauteed in hot oil, which can then be used for stir frying or added to soup, sauce, or hot pot
You can use red and green peppercorns interchangeably. Though generally, red Sichuan pepper is paired with red chili peppers and heavier ingredients like pork and used in mala hot pot. And green Sichuan pepper is most commonly used with green chili peppers (sometimes pickled) and with lighter protein such as fish. If you have both kinds, feel free to try them together!
Pre-Made Peppercorn Oil
If you are cooking a recipe that uses peppercorns infused in oil, it can be very handy to use a pre-infused peppercorn oil instead. These oils are made through a slow and meticulous extraction, and they can give you a huge amount of Sichuan pepper fragrance with just a drizzle. I love to keep them on hand to use in dipping sauces and to garnish stir fries. See the “How to Shop” section below for my favorite pre-made peppercorn oils.
Dishes that Feature Sichuan Pepper
Sichuan-Style
- Homemade Chili Oil
- Lazi Ji (Sichuan Mala Chicken, 辣子鸡)
- Authentic Mapo Tofu (麻婆豆腐)
- Sichuan Spicy Peanuts
- Dan Dan Noodles (担担面)
- Chicken with Spicy Sesame Sauce (怪味鸡)
- Spicy Wonton in Chili Oil (红油抄手)
- Dry Fried Green Beans (干煸豆角)
- Hot Pot Soup Base (川式清油火锅底料)
- Shui Zhu Yu (Sichuan Boiled Fish, 水煮鱼)
From the Rest of China
- Xinjiang-Style Cumin Lamb
- Chinese 4-Ingredient Fried Cabbage
- Chinese Style Potato Salad
- Cumin Lamb Noodles
- Stir-Fried Okra
- Biang Biang Noodles
- Grilled Lamb Skewers (新疆烤串)
How to Shop for Sichuan Peppercorn
You can find Sichuan peppercorns in your local Chinese grocery store or online. Red is the more common type and is suitable for general Sichuan and Chinese cooking. You may see green Sichuan pepper for sale as well.
They may come whole or ground into a powder. In my experience, ground Sichuan pepper loses its flavor so quickly that I don’t think it’s worth buying pre-ground. For the best flavor, I recommend always buying whole Sichuan peppercorns and grinding them when you need them ground.
I have tried Sichuan pepper from many stores and sources, and freshness can be variable. Peppercorns that aren’t fresh can be severely lacking in flavor and aroma, so you should get the freshest you can find.
The only Sichuan peppercorns I recommend come from The Mala Market and 50 Hertz. These two companies import super fresh ingredients directly from Sichuan and their peppercorns are exquisitely fragrant and flavorful. Honestly, it’s hard to find peppercorns this nice, even if you live in China.
The Sichuan pepper grinder from Mala Market is especially handy, since you can use ground or whole peppercorns as needed, and it keeps them pretty fresh.
And I love the green peppercorns and irresistible Tingly Sichuan Pepper Peanuts from 50 Hertz.
Both 50 Hertz and Mala Market stock very nice peppercorn oils.
How to Store Sichuan Peppercorn
Store your peppercorns in a cool, dark, dry place. Once opened, keep them in an airtight container. You can store them in the fridge if you like.
Sichuan peppercorns are best used within 3 months of opening. They will be edible for years, though they will lose their fragrance and potency relatively quickly.
Substitutions
There is no substitute for Sichuan peppercorn, period.
Black pepper and white pepper are not similar to Sichuan pepper in terms of flavor at all.
The Japanese spice sanshō (山椒) comes from a type of prickly ash plant, but its flavor is not similar either. I do NOT recommend it as a replacement for Sichuan pepper.
If you don’t have Sichuan peppercorn, you may be able to skip it. Some dishes will just be lacking a little bit of complexity, but other dishes (including many Sichuan dishes) are not worth cooking without it.
FAQs
Yes, you can! Try them toasted and ground in your next barbecue spice rub. Or in any case that you might also use dried chili peppers, since they go so nicely together. Have fun with it!
I couldn’t tell you. I can tell you that 50 Hertz and Mala Market sell amazing peppercorns that are reliably super fresh.
Slow down and take a bite of steamed rice.
Hi, Maggie,
Do you have to get a good quality Sichuan peppercorn? What brand of peppercorn do you use for the Sichuan garlic chili sauce?
Hi Susan, yes, the good quality Sichuan peppercorns do make a huge difference in cooking. Unfortunately, the Sichuan peppercorns in the US need to be heated up to 158 °F to kill citrus canker before import, in a result that they’ll lose the numbing flavor. So it’s nearly impossible to replicate the real Sichuan flavor, unless you purchase Sichuan peppercorns in China (or Asia). I brought back a big bag of Sichuan peppercorns every time I visited China, so I have a good stock to use in my dishes.
There is a good Chinese brand “Chuan Zhi Wei” that you can get in most Asian markets in the US. If you cannot locate it, you can order it online too: http://www.posharpstore.com/en/chuanzhiwei-sichuan-red-peppercorns-prickly-ash-317-oz
For the Sichuan peppercorns, you can’t really tell the quality until you smell it. Because they’ll lose flavor when they’re on the shelf too long time (which is usually the case here, because the turnover is low). It should have a pungent numbing spicy fragrant when fresh, instead of stale and chemical smell. If you get a chance to purchase them in a spice shop where you can smell them first, it’ll also be a great way to go.