Elusive, exotic, intoxicating

THERE were days a couple of years ago when you might have spotted Lee Hefter, executive chef of Spago Beverly Hills, prowling through shops in Chinatown searching for an ingredient that then was almost impossible to find -- Sichuan peppercorns.

Hefter wanted the aromatic, camphor-scented spice because it imparts a unique and elusive fragrance and a mysterious flavor note to the Chinese-style dishes that he makes from time to time.

The problem was, Sichuan peppercorns had been banned in the United States. The ban was imposed because the tree from which they’re harvested, a citrus-family tree whose name translates as prickly ash, carries pests that could infect U.S. orchards, according to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Despite the ban, stray packages turned up on store shelves until two or three years ago, when suddenly they vanished, seemingly for good.

Hefter gathered what he could in Chinatown here and hunted in Chinatowns elsewhere. “I remember there was a period of time when we were without them,” he says. What did he use instead when he couldn’t get Sichuan pepper? He simply changed his recipes. The taste of Sichuan pepper is unique. “You either have it, or you don’t. You don’t substitute for it,” he says.

Now Hefter has all the Sichuan peppercorns he could possibly want.

About two years ago, it was found that heating the peppercorns to 140 degrees made them safe enough to import. Roasted before they enter the United States and accompanied by a document verifying the process, the peppercorns are freely imported. You can now find them at almost any Asian market in the San Gabriel Valley and also at specialty cooking shops such as Le Sanctuaire in Santa Monica and Penzeys Spices in Torrance.

Ordinary peppercorns are Piper nigrum. The botanic name for Sichuan pepper is Zanthoxylum simulans. It’s the fruit of a prickly ash tree that grows in Sichuan province in China. The flavor is different if the tree is grown elsewhere, purists say.

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Getting the name right

ASK for Sichuan peppercorns in an Asian shop, and you’re likely to draw a blank stare. To find them, you may have to use the Chinese names: hua jiao (Mandarin) and faa jiu (Cantonese). The labeling on the package varies too. “Dried prickly ash,” “dehydrated prickly ash” and “dried pepper” are some of the English names used. You can quickly recognize the peppercorns, though. They are tiny reddish shells, each containing a small black seed.

Why all the fuss over what seems an obscure seasoning? Because the flavor is so unusual, with a delicate nuance of camphor and what Hefter characterizes as a “lemony overtone.”

Assured of a regular supply, Hefter has been able to put dishes such as honey-lacquered squab on the menu. This sweet-spicy dish features Sichuan pepper-salt, which Hefter makes by grinding together four parts kosher salt to one part Sichuan peppercorns. Hefter learned about the roasted pepper-salt when working with the late Barbara Tropp at China Moon Cafe in San Francisco in the early ‘90s. He uses the blend when he wants to add complexity, especially to meat dishes.

Luis Diaz, executive chef of Chinois on Main in Santa Monica, uses the spice in a grilled New York steak dish. The steak is marinated in a ginger-garlic-hot chile mixture, then, while grilling, Diaz sprinkles the steak with Sichuan pepper. Although he calls the dish Sichuan beef, it’s quite mild. “It’s one of the classic dishes we have here,” he says.

Chinese food authority and author Carl Chu says the combination of hot chiles and the haunting, sensual flavor of Sichuan pepper produces a “numbing” effect that is the “distinguishing mark of Sichuan cuisine.”

“The flavor is so intoxicating, people get hooked on it,” he says.

But not all authentic Sichuan dishes are fiery, and some featuring Sichuan pepper don’t call for hot chiles. A cold chicken preparation adapted from Robert A. Delfs’ “The Good Food of Szechwan” combines the ground aromatic peppercorns with that everyday Asian quartet of ginger, soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame oil to make an enchantingly fragrant sauce that transmutes a simple poached chicken breast into a tantalizing and memorable delicacy.

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Suddenly, it’s everywhere

Sichuan peppercorns, sometimes labeled dried or dehydrated prickly ash, and called hua jiao and faa jiu in Mandarin and Cantonese respectively, are available at prices ranging from about $5 to $20 per pound in select Chinese and Asian markets and at some specialty food stores, including the following:

Asia Supermarket, 910 W. Valley Blvd., Alhambra, (626) 281-9772.

Far East Supermarket, 758 New High St., Los Angeles, (Chinatown), (213) 628-8708.

Hawaii Supermarket, 120 E. Valley Blvd., San Gabriel, (626) 307-0062.

Le Sanctuaire, 2710 Main St., Santa Monica, (310) 581-8999.

Penzeys Spices, 21301 Hawthorne Blvd., Torrance, (310) 406-3877.

99 Ranch Markets, various locations. Check the store locator on the website, www.99ranch.com.

Tak Shing Hong, an herbal provision shop with several Southern California locations including 401 E. Garvey Ave., Monterey Park, (626) 307-0794, and 1457 S. Nogales St., Rowland Heights, (626) 839-0022.

-- Barbara Hansen

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Honey-lacquered squab with gingered nappa cabbage and fennel-pear puree

Total time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Servings: 2

Note: Adapted from Lee Hefter, executive chef of Spago Beverly Hills. The restaurant uses Carpenter Ranch squab. Verjus is a natural juice of seedless, unripened green grapes.

Sichuan pepper-salt

4 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns

1. In a small heavy-bottomed pot, slowly roast the salt and peppercorns over low-medium heat until very aromatic, about 20 minutes.

2. Cool. Grind in a spice grinder and sift through fine sieve. Set aside.

Fennel-pear puree

1 head fennel, trimmed and thinly sliced

1 1/2 Bartlett pears, peeled, cored and diced large

1/4 cup verjus

1 small or 1/2 large star anise

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Combine the fennel, pears, verjus, anise, sugar and salt in a heavy-bottom pot.

2. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until everything is very tender, about 30 minutes.

3. Remove the star anise and puree in a high-speed blender until smooth.

4. Adjust the seasoning and pass through a fine sieve. Keep warm until ready to serve. Makes 1 cup.

Gingered nappa cabbage

1/4 head nappa cabbage

1/4 head radicchio

1 tablespoon olive oil, divided

2 cups packed spinach leaves (1 ounce)

1/2 teaspoon each finely chopped ginger, garlic and scallions, pounded into puree together using a mortar and pestle

2 tablespoons golden raisins, rehydrated in hot water for 20 minutes and chopped

1/2 teaspoon sherry vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon sesame oil

1. Chop the cabbage and radicchio into 1-inch dice.

2. Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a medium skillet over low heat. Saute the cabbage, spinach and radicchio separately until tender, about 5 to 6 minutes each. Return all the sauteed greens to the pan.

3. Add the ginger, garlic and scallion puree to the greens and cook until aromatic, about 1 to 2 minutes.

4. Add the raisins, vinegar, salt and sugar. Remove from the stove and dress with sesame oil. Makes 2 cups.

Squab and assembly

2 whole squabs, backbones, breastbones and ribs removed

1/2 teaspoon Sichuan pepper-salt, plus more to taste

1/4 cup honey

Fennel-pear puree

Gingered nappa cabbage

Chinese 5-spice

1. One hour before cooking, season the squab on both sides with the Sichuan pepper-salt.

2. Put the honey in a heavy-bottomed sauce pot and cook over medium heat for about 4 minutes until it becomes reduced and thick. Set aside.

3. Grill the squabs, skin side down over high heat until golden brown and crispy, about 8 to 10 minutes.

4. Turn; sear the other sides for 1 to 2 minutes and then rest the squab on a plate for 5 minutes. The squab will be medium-rare.

5. Brush the skin sides with a thin coat of warm honey. Return it to the hot grill before serving to lightly caramelize the skin for 1 minute on each side. Carve the squabs, slicing the breast meat.

6. On a serving platter, make a line of the hot fennel-pear puree from one end to the other. Arrange the gingered cabbage in the center and the carved squabs around it. Arrange the legs standing up against the cabbage. Sprinkle Sichuan pepper-salt on the sliced breast. Dust the plate with Chinese 5-spice.

Each serving: 628 calories; 33 grams protein; 79 grams carbo- hydrates; 10 grams fiber; 23 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 151 mg. cholesterol; 1,279 mg. sodium.

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Charcoal-grilled Sichuan beef with cilantro-shallot sauce

Total time: 30 minutes plus 6 hours marinating time

Servings: 2

Note: From Luis Diaz, executive chef at Chinois on Main in Santa Monica. If diners want a really spicy dish, the restaurant will garnish with chile oil and chile flakes. It’s served with a green salad.

Marinade

1 (9-ounce) New York steak

1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon crushed dried hot chiles

1 green onion, minced

1 tablespoon sesame oil

Place the steak in a glass dish. Rub the ginger, garlic, dried chiles, green onion and sesame oil to completely coat the steak. Cover and marinate 6 hours in the refrigerator.

Sauce and assembly

Marinated steak

1 tablespoon peanut oil

1 shallot, minced

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon chopped cilantro

1/2 teaspoon crushed dried chiles

1 1/2 tablespoons veal stock

1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons mirin

1 tablespoon butter, cold

Salt

1/4 teaspoon ground Sichuan pepper

1. Remove the steak from the refrigerator 30 minutes before grilling. Heat the grill. Heat the oil in a small saucepan or skillet. Add the shallot, ginger, garlic, cilantro and dried chiles and cook on low heat 2 to 3 minutes, until the shallot is tender. Add the veal stock, soy sauce and mirin. Cook for 1 minute. Swirl in the butter.

2. Wipe off excess marinade from the steak. Grill to medium rare, about 7 to 12 minutes (turning over halfway through cooking) depending on the thickness. Season with salt and Sichuan pepper while grilling. Let rest 10 minutes.

3. Slice the steak and arrange on a serving plate. Spoon the sauce over.

Each serving: 352 calories; 30 grams protein; 6 grams carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 22 grams fat;8 grams saturated fat; 70 mg. cholesterol; 841 mg. sodium.

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Cold chicken slices with sesame and Sichuan pepper

Total time: 30 minutes plus cooling time

Servings: 2 to 4

Note: Adapted from “The Good Food of Szechwan” by Robert A. Delfs.

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 tablespoons finely chopped green onion

2 tablespoons finely chopped ginger root

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons white Chinese rice vinegar

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 teaspoon ground Sichuan pepper

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1. Place the chicken in enough boiling water in a wok or pot to cover the chicken. Turn down heat and simmer until tender but not overdone, about 17 to 20 minutes. Remove the chicken, drain and allow to cool completely.

2. Combine the green onion, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, Sichuan pepper and sugar in a bowl.

3. Cut the cooled chicken into thin slices and arrange attractively on a serving platter. Pour the seasonings over the chicken slices and garnish with parsley. Serve at room temperature.

Each of 4 servings: 199 calories; 24 grams protein; 3 grams carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 10 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 63 mg. cholesterol; 810 mg. sodium.