On our trip to Napa a few weeks ago, we stopped at Whole Spice in the Oxbow Market. I knew I'd be walking out with the Sichuan peppercorns the instant I noticed they had some. As soon as we got back home to Los Angeles, I pulled out our copy of Barbara's China Moon Cookbook and looked for the Sichuan pepper-salt recipe.
It seemed like a fairly easy recipe, but I was still a little intimidated. Even though I never had the pleasure of meeting Barbara, her memory is still alive and well in the Rhoades family. This was one recipe that needed to be followed precisely, which is very difficult for me to do. If it didn't taste just right, I'd definitely hear about it.
Well, my attempt was a success, and I used the Sichuan pepper-salt on just about everything. I'm now running pretty low and can't survive without this stuff. It's that amazing! I made a second batch today, and it turned out even better than the first.
Sichuan peppercorns prior to picking out twigs, thorns, and leaves and roasting with salt.
The finished product... So delicious!
Many of Barbara's other recipes include what seem like an endless list of ingredients with extremely detailed instructions. She does highlight a few simple ones with which to start, so hopefully, my future attempts will be as successful as my first.
