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| The Sichuan Definition of 'Hot' |
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Before Sichuan cuisine became dominant in America’s Chinese restaurants, I discovered its fire power in a startling way. At a Sichuan restaurant in the 1970s, my date dipped right into his hot and sour soup. Next thing I knew, his face was scarlet red and I swear I saw smoke coming out of his ears, like in the cartoons. He had bitten into a couple of whole, blackened hot peppers that he did not know should be either avoided or approached with great care. A few bowls of rice later, he did recover. That night, we also discovered another kind of pepper used in Sichuan cooking, in the seasoning of a small bowl of pickled cabbage brought to the table as soon as we sat down. Really a pickled vegetable salad, it contained a mixture of nicely crunchy cabbage, sliced carrots and daikon radish. Sichuan peppercorns are not truly pepper, but rather the seedpods of a different plant. One translation of their Chinese name is “flower pepper.” After enjoying the distinctive lemony hint they gave the pickles, we found our mouths tingling, then getting slightly numb thanks to a compound they contain. Sichuan pepper is available in Asian food markets and mail-order spice purveyors. I like its unique taste but, because it’s not found readily, my version of Sichuan pickled cabbage, chopped finely enough to serve as a salad or side dish, calls for a moderate amount of black pepper instead. Sichuan Coleslaw5-inch piece daikon radish, peeled Cut the daikon crosswise into thin slices. Stack the slices and cut them crosswise into thin matchsticks. Place the radish in a large mixing bowl. Add the cabbage, carrots, green onion, cilantro and sesame seeds. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, soy sauce, ginger and pepper. Blend in the sesame oil. Pour the dressing over the slaw and toss to combine. Cover the slaw and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 24 hours, to allow the flavors to meld before serving. Makes 4 servings. Nutritional information Dana Jacobi is author of The Joy of Soy and other healthy-eating cookbooks. She also is recipe creator for the American Institute for Cancer Research’s cookbook, Stopping Cancer Before It Starts. Source: American Institute for Cancer Research |
By Dana Jacobi|
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