30 DAYS OPEN PURCHASEThis Sichuan pepper originates from Han Yuan Valley, QingXi, Sichuan, China. At 3,000 metres altitude in the mountainous foothills of the Tibetan Plateau, Rushi of the Li family grows a Sichuan pepper with 300 years of imperial tribute history. Gong Jiao is the tribute pepper. That is the story behind every grain in this jar.
QingXi is the ultimate expression of what Sichuan pepper can be: intensely floral, well-balanced in its numbing and with a citrus note that is brighter and more distinct than anything else The Pepper Quest has ever handled. The mà sensation, the electric numbing feeling that settles along the tongue's edge, is here as it should be: clear, clean and without bitter aftertones. Sichuan pepper is not chili and not pepper. It is a flower bud from the Zanthoxylum family and the numbing compound activates touch-sensitive nerve cells in the mouth. It is the most fascinating phenomenon in spice science.
Toast briefly in a dry pan, grind in a mortar and combine with Facing Heaven chili for Ma La, the classic Sichuan flavour language of hot and numbing. Use in red oil sauces, dressings, marinades and steamed prawns. One jar goes a long way and rewards every time.
