Do You Like Spicy?

Sichuan food is VERY spicy.

I guess it’s the Cajun cooking of China.

There is a small peppercorn sized green pepper which despite its small size is like biting into small nuclear bomb. But the one that really gets me is the red pepper. And it is cooked into everything. There must be “pepper farms” the size of Texas in order to produce enough of these to use in all the restaurants in all the cities in all the provinces of China.
But have you ever wondered exactly how these get processed after they arrive from the farms? Even if you said no, I’m gonna tell you anyway.
First, washing is an option. The cooking oil used gets so hot it kills all the germs anyway, and if a little dirt gets mixed, well, as my daughter says “God made dirt, and dirt don’t hurt!”
Next, dry them out. Just fill up a huge bag and wait awhile.
Now you have to separate the pepper from the seed inside. Pile them all out on the ground, slip off your shoes and sit almost in the middle of the pile. If your feet get buried in the pile, don’t worry about it; after all, that’s why you took your shoes off. Find a pair of scissors and start slicing them. One slice is all you need. Your goal is to simply open the pepper so the seed can spill out. One safety item to consider; don’t wipe, scratch, itch, or touch your eyes during this process. But I suppose you only make that mistake once.

Next go get your handy bamboo sifter and sift the seeds out. Seeds on the ground, peppers in a bag.

Now you are ready for the fun part.



These peppers need to be crushed into small pieces for cooking. Now I know what you are thinking, but stomping on them is how you make wine. We use technology. Fire up your “pepper stomper” and crush them babies up! (see video at bottom) Pour a scoop of peppers into the stomper bowl. Keep stirring the pot until the pepper is crushed to the size you want. If you want big pieces, stomp for a short time. If you need tiny pepper, stomp longer. Another safety point: it will shake the very foundation around you so I would suggest you run this machine on a very solid concrete floor.
Might I suggest the sidewalk?
Every seismograph within 100 miles probably will pick up the “thud, thud, thud” of the stomper as it runs.
After you complete the crushing, just bag them up and you are ready to go to market.
At the market, the best way for the customer to get the quantity they want is to use their hands. Don’t sweat using a scooper here. Just grab and go.

Now, finally, cook like your mama told you. One pound of pepper for every ounce of anything else you use. The hotter the better. Slice up a cucumber or other green veggie to cool the burn and you are eating Sichuan Style!! Of course, if that doesn’t help cool the heat and you begin to sweat too much, just roll up your pants legs. And in extreme cases, just take off your shirt.

Why not?

Everyone else does!

You DO like spicy ... don't you???