If you’re looking for the best aroma and numbing sensation from Sichuan pepper, grind your own powder! It’s quick, easy and tastes so much better.
Sichuan pepper (Huā Jiāo, 花椒, aka Szechuan pepper or Chinese pepper) is one of the most important spices used in the Chinese kitchen. It has a powerful aroma and creates a unique numbing sensation in your mouth. Apart from being used as whole for stir-fries, braised dishes & hot pot, ground Sichuan pepper plays an important role in seasoning Chinese delicacies.
The fresher the better
For optimal taste, it’s always best to use freshly ground Sichuan pepper, particularly when you prepare “Málà/麻辣” dishes that demand a strong numbing effect. Shop-bought Sichuan pepper powder may seem convenient but the flavour is often compromised. I routinely grind my own powder as it’s quick, easy and tastes so much better.
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, Bang Bang 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!
How to grind Sichuan peppercorn
Ingredients
- Whole Sichuan peppercorns
Instructions
- Look through the peppercorns. Discard all the black seeds.
- Toast the peppercorns on low heat until they are fragrant.
- Transfer to a mortar or a spice grinder. Grind when they are completely cool.
- Sift with a sieve. Use the fine powder for recipes.
NUTRITION DISCLOSURE: Nutritional information on this website is provided as a courtesy to readers. It should be considered estimates. Please use your own brand nutritional values or your preferred nutrition calculator to double check against our estimates.
David Kalter says
Thank you so much for your details for preparing Sichuan peppercorns! My wife and I have (for over 40 years!) have been grinding the black seeds and throwing out the outer shells (the good part!). We’ll finally be able to make mapao dofu correctly, after all these years! Thanks for helping to set us straight!
Wei @ Red House Spice says
My pleasure David! It can be very confusing as other peppercorn uses the seeds. Very happy to know my post is helpful to you. Happy cooking!
Jerry says
You said -Ground Sichuan pepper shouldn’t have sand like texture. When grinding, please pay attention to two important steps that I mentioned in the recipe above: 1. Discard all the black seeds inside the husks if you find any. 2. After grinding, make sure you sift it with a sieve and use only the fine power which has gone through the sieve. I hope this is helpful to you.
You also said-This is to remove the gritty, sandy bits (from the black seeds and/or the yellow inner parts of the husks)“.
So when grinding, does not the husk become ground as well and go through the sieve? If something like sand comes from grinding, doesn’t the husk become sand like as well?
Does the sand go through the sieve, husks, or both?
Wei @ Red House Spice says
Hi Jerry! What goes through the sieve is the powdery part. As I’ve explained in the post, the outer part of the husks will easily turn into fine powder, but the yellow inner part of the husks won’t go though the sieve and need to be removed.
Meli says
Hi Wei,
Thank you so much for sharing how to DIY Sichuan peppercorn powder. There’s one question that I wanted to clarify with you: how long roughly should I stir the peppercorn in the pan? I can’t tell by the signs of readiness you suggested because the moment I put them in the pan, they smell so aromatic already.
Thanks a lot!!!
Wei @ Red House Spice says
Hi Meli! As I mentioned in the post, another sign of readiness is that the peppercorn will look a little oily on the surface. Keep a close eye on them. You will see the change.
Bruce says
Thanks for these instructions, Wei. My wife and I have tried using Szechuan peppercorns in the past, and were disappointed by the grittiness. Following your instructions, we ended up with much better results. We had a good supply of peppercorns, but they were low quality; there were lots of seeds and twigs. Removing them was time consuming, but I think the result was worth it.
The first dish I tried the ground peppercorns in was part of a dry rub for skinless chicken breasts. They were a hit! Today I used them as seasoning for a pasta sauce that I then used to make lasagna. Not quite traditional, but delicious!
Wei @ Red House Spice says
Hi Bruce! So happy to know my post has helped you! I like the sound of your creative use of Sichuan pepper. I’ll give it a try on my lasagna!
Zai says
Hi Wei,
Thanks for the post. Is there any brand that can be found in the UK that sells good quality Sichuan peppercorns that you recommend?
Wei @ Red House Spice says
I don’t have any particular brand/shop in mind to recommend. I always purchase them in China then bring back to the UK. Have a look at my post “Sichuan Pepper (花椒): Your Questions Answered” which includes tips on identifying good quality Sichuan pepper.
Teresa says
Hi Wei,
Thanks for this post. It was very informative and thorough. I appreciated it very much. Can’t wait to try this. I’m Chinese but I didn’t use to eat spicy. In the last few years I started eating spicy Asian food and it opened a whole new world of dishes and spices for me. Looking forward to reading more posts!
Wei @ Red House Spice says
You are welcome Teresa! Have a good time exploring the world of spices!
Lynn L Edwards says
Hi! Wei – got Soeos Premium peppercorns… didn’t find any black seeds – hope I followed the toast-grind-sieve directions correctly – got about 2 teaspoons of product from about 1/3-1/2 cup of peppercorns…is this expected yield? I didn’t throw away what was leftover… seems like such a waste… will they be good for anything? I’ve never used this before but I am in love with the taste – fragrance – and tingle of this stuff – can’t wait to cook something…yes, I bit a pod to see what it was like! AMAZING! Made me just laugh ? until the numbness wore off…what a fun spice!
Lynn in Aiken SC USA
Wei @ Red House Spice says
Hi Lynn! Glad to know you like this new spice. A lot of exciting dishes to discover! The leftover is, in fact, no use in dishes as it’s a bit sandy & gritty. You probably could grind the leftover once again then go through the sieve to get a little more powder. When using ground Sichuan pepper, normally you don’t need a large quantity.
michael j anderson says
I put the Sichuan peppercorns in a storage bat and roll them just enough to free up the Black seeds then I sift the seeds out and put the course husks in my Pepper grinder
Mark says
You say you advise to sieve the mortared peppercorn but you’ never say why? What happens ?
Wei @ Red House Spice says
Hi Mark. I did explain it clearly in my post: “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)“
Monica says
I bought black Sichuan peppercorns from an Asian import store and they have a sticker that says “warning, wash all spices thoroughly before consumption.”
My question is, how do I wash them?
Wei @ Red House Spice says
Hi Monica! I’ve never heard of “black” Sichuan peppercorns and it sounds very strange to wash them. Could you please email me photos of the peppercorns and its package? I’d like to see what exactly you’ve got. My email address: wei@redhousespice.com