Sichuan pepper
Dried husks of a citrus-family shrub, not a true pepper. Lemony and floral, with a tingling, numbing effect on the tongue.
Sichuan pepper is sold in Asian grocers, spice shops and online, and sometimes in well-stocked supermarkets. Buy whole reddish husks free of the hard black seeds, and toast them briefly before grinding. Its Nepali relative timur is more common in Himalayan cooking and tastes even more of grapefruit; look for it online or in Nepali and Indian shops.
Substitute:
Timur and Sichuan pepper stand in for each other well. Black pepper with a little grated lemon zest roughly matches the aroma, but the tingling and numbing are lost entirely.
Used in
Labu SenTibetan pickled radish with chilli, ginger and emma pepper90 minLapingCold mung bean noodles in a garlicky chilli sauce — slippery and hot5,5 hMomosSteamed dumplings with a chicken filling and a hot tomato-chili sauce90 minPhaksha PaaBraised pork belly with daikon, dried chilies and ginger70 minRildokSherpa soup of pounded potatoes in a spiced tomato broth60 minSepenSpicy tomato and chilli chutney for momos, with garlic, ginger and timur25 minSha BalepTibetan half-moon pastries with a spiced beef filling, fried until golden90 minSha BalepTibetan meat pockets with a spiced beef filling, fried until golden90 minShyakpaSherpa stew with hand-torn dough pieces, meat and root vegetables75 minThenthuk with MushroomsTibetan noodle soup with hand-torn noodles, vegetables and ginger75 min