Sichuan pepper, how to grind it correctly?

A common mistake

Before we get into the recipe, let me talk about a common mistake people make when it comes to grinding Sichuan peppercorns. One of my friends once complained: “My ground Sichuan pepper tastes like sand. So gritty!” Later I found out that she put Sichuan peppercorns straight into her regular pepper mill to grind over her food. “You shouldn’t have treated it as black pepper.” I said.

Although sharing the word “pepper” in their names, Sichuan pepper is different from black pepper in every way. They are not botanically related. They don’t taste similar. Also, they need to be ground in different ways. The method my friend used doesn’t bring out the best flavour and results in a gritty, sandy texture which could ruin a delicious dish.

Follow 4 steps to grind Sichuan pepper

Now let me explain how to grind it properly. It only takes a few minutes to make your own Sichuan pepper powder. But make sure you follow all the steps.

Step 1: Discard the black seeds

Before you start grinding, make sure you look through the peppercorns and discard any black seeds that you find.

Unlike black/white pepper, only the open husks of Sichuan pepper is used in food. The black seeds (found loose in the package or still inside the husks) are hard and tasteless thus need to be removed. You wouldn’t find many of them when purchasing good quality Sichuan pepper. It could be an issue with poor quality ones.

Step 2: Dry roast without oil

Place Sichuan peppercorns in a cold frying pan. Roast over medium-low heat. Shake the pan back and forward occasionally. Look out for the signs of readiness: 

• They start to release the aroma.
• They look a little oily on the surface

Remove them from the hot pan immediately. Overcooking will result in a bitter taste.

Step 3: Let cool then crush

Leave the roasted peppercorns to cool before you grind them. I use my mortar and pestle to do the job. After the roasting and cooling process, the peppercorns become brittle thus very easy to grind. You may also use an electric grinder if you wish. 

Step 4: Sift to remove gritty bits

Finally, you need to sift the crushed pepper through a fine-mesh sieve. This is to remove the gritty, sandy bits (from the black seeds and/or the yellow inner parts of the husks). I strongly advise you not to skip this step.

Make a small batch at a time

Sichuan pepper’s aroma and numbing effect decrease over time. Particularly after grinding, it loses its best taste pretty quickly. I suggest you only grind a small amount at a time.

Keep freshly ground Sichuan pepper in airtight containers away from heat & direct sunlight. Use it within two weeks for optimal taste.

Many delicious ways to use it

There are many ways to enjoy the unique taste of ground Sichuan pepper. Here is a list of examples:

• Mix it into the aromatic dressing for Mouth-Watering Chicken
• Sprinkle it over the addictive Mapo Tofu
• Add it to the irresistible Chongqing Noodles & Dan Dan Noodles
• Brush it over the dough for comforting Scallion Pancakes
• Stir in the delicious Dumpling Fillings

Want to learn more about Sichuan pepper?

I guess some of you might like to know more about this unique Chinese spice. If this is the case, please check out my Complete Guide to Sichuan Pepper which includes answers to over 20 FAQs. Also, you are always welcome to add your questions to the list. I’m very happy to help!