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Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsChinese food? Bring out the Black Pepper.
I love Chinese food but I'm not into hot sauce or curry. Chinese mustard is way too much for me. However in everything else that I cook and eat I like to add a little zing, usually black pepper.
In a palm to forehead moment I started using the pepper grinder on my Chinese dishes and it's great! Try pepper in the rich broth of your Won Ton soup. Eggs without pepper? Egg Foo Young really perks up when it is added. Try it in all of your favorites.
Mmmm.
Little Star
(17,055 posts)That's what the chinese places around here use and I bought some at the supermarket for my take-out. yummmmmm
Graybeard
(6,996 posts)White Pepper was always a staple in my Mom's pantry for use in things like mashed potatoes and cream sauces. I was delicious.
I'm putting it on the list for my next visit to the market.
Thanks.
A Simple Game
(9,214 posts)The theory is that the pepper makes you salivate and that helps you taste the food better.
I don't add enough the actually taste the pepper. I'm sure I got the idea from some baking show or book.
Denninmi
(6,581 posts)It's a very interesting flavor and sensation.
The flavor is lemon-pepper.
The sensation is similar to orajel -- it has a compound in it that is a mild, topical pain-killer, numbing compound.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sichuan_pepper
I grow my own here, from the closely related American species Prickly Ash. It tastes exactly like the grocery store variety, just slightly smaller fruits.
Fun to play with in the kitchen:
Here's a good chicken recipe to get you started, if interested:
http://chinesefood.about.com/od/szechuanpoultryrecipes/r/bangbangchicken.htm
Graybeard
(6,996 posts)Sounds really fab. Thanks for the links.
AlecBGreen
(3,874 posts)My wife is from China and cooks with it a lot. She even brought back a whole jar of huajiao (hwa-jao) oil her mom had made for her. I love the stuff. The best is when she makes these crispy match-stick fried potatoes and they have lots of the sichuan pepper in them. *drool* sooooo gooooood...
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)Great-tasting black pepper from India, available in supermarkets.
And a tip I learned long ago for "bringing up" the flavor when you buy peppercorns: Place them on a baking sheet or on foil in an oven that has been pre-heated to 200 degrees and turned OFF. Remove from oven after the peppercorns reach the point of fragrance (your kitchen will be filled with a nice, peppery aroma).
CherokeeDem
(3,709 posts)I love Tellicherry....all I will use...
Major Nikon
(36,827 posts)Instead of one spice, curry is a combination of several. If it's the capsicum peppers that turn you off, there are some variances that have none and you can blend your own, which is actually more authentic anyway. Some types of curry use peppercorn as a base instead of capsicum peppers.
Arugula Latte
(50,566 posts)RebelOne
(30,947 posts)But I do love Chinese mustard on Chinese dishes.