Chinese Salt and Pepper [Anything] (椒盐蘑菇/椒盐排骨)

Salt and pepper dishes! Probably the most internationally famous are the Cantonese sort of these, but they're a style that you can see throughout the country.

Salt and pepper is a Cantonese classic, used to sprinkle over crispy deep fried stuff like squid, tofu, ribs… and popular pretty much everywhere from high end Cantonese restaurants to takeout joints in the west.

But if you went pretty much anywhere in China outside of Guangdong, the salt and pepper you see will be differet than what you might be used to. The salt part remains the same, but there’s… ambiguity in the … “pepper” part.

"Salt and pepper" is a direct translation of the Chinese 'jiaoyan' (椒盐), but that character 'jiao' (椒) can mean a few different things. Originally, it'd refer 'huajiao' (花椒), Sichuan peppercorn, the use of which - throughout China I might add - dates thousands of years all the way back to the Spring and Autumn period.

So then when peppercorn peppercorns were introduced into China through the silk road trade routes, they ended up being labeled 'hujiao' (胡椒), or the Sichuan peppercorns of the steppe barbarians. And of course a bit later when chilis were introduced, they also ended up getting thrown in that same jiao (椒) bucket as well.

So in most of the country, salt and pepper seasoning is actually a salt and Sichuan pepper seasoning, and it's in Guangdong that you primarily see the internationally famed salt and white pepper combination. Either way, both are perfectly delicious options, and pretty straightforward to whip up.

So we wanted to teach you how you make that mix, while also trying to arrive at a formula of sorts so that you can give the Chinese salt and pepper treatment to whatever you want to salt and pepper.

SALT & PEPPER MIX

• Whole Sichuan peppercorns (花椒) or white peppercorns (白胡椒), ~1/2 tbsp

• Salt, ~1/2 tsp

• MSG (味精), 1/4 tsp

Process:

Over a medium-low flame, toast the 1/2 tbsp peppercorns for about three minutes until fragrant (and if using Sichuan peppercorns, until the peppercorns have a slight oily sheen to them).

Transfer to a mortar, pound into a powder. Pass the powder through a fine mesh sieve to catch the bits that aren't broken down enough - you should have about 1 tsp of powder in the end.

Toast the salt and also pound that into a powder. If your MSG is the sort that's larger crystals, pound that into a powder as well.

The final ratio of the mix will be 1 tsp toasted and pounded peppercorns, 1/2 tsp toasted and pounded salt, and 1/4 tsp MSG.

SALT & PEPPER MUSHROOMS

This dish is originally a Sichuan dish, and goes great with the Sichuan peppercorn version of the salt & pepper mix.

• Oyster mushrooms (平菇), 500g

• To marinate

  Salt, 1/4 tsp;

  Sugar, 1/2 tsp;

  Soy sauce (生抽), 1/2 tsp

• Starch coating

  Cornstarch (玉米生粉), ~3 tbsp

  Rice flour (粘米粉), ~3 tbsp (the rice flour can be subbed with additional cornstarch)

• Oil, for deep frying

• Salt & pepper seasoning from above (it should be ~1 and 3/4 tsp)

Process:

Wash 500g mushrooms, then blanch for about three minutes. Remove, let them cool down. Once they're cool enough to handle, squeeze out the liquid that's in the mushrooms. Pat dry. Marinade with 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp sugar, and 1/2 tsp soy sauce.

Immediately before frying, mix the mushrooms with a mixture of ~3 tbsp cornstarch and ~3 tbsp rice flour.

Get a wok of oil up to ~180C (or until bubbles are rapidly forming around a pair of chopsticks), and drop the mushrooms in one by one. Fry until they've released their moisture and feel obviously 'hard' if you gently jostle a pair of chopsticks among them, ~7 minutes. Take out and strain.

Remove the oil from the wok. Wipe with a paper towel. Over a medium-low flame, combine the mushrooms with the salt & pepper seasoning in the wok.

SALT & PEPPER RIBS

This dish is originally a Cantonese dish, and goes great with the white peppercorn version of the salt & pepper mix.

• Pork ribs, cut into ~2 inch sections, 1kg

• For the alkaline solution:

  Sodium carbonate (碱面) or kansui (枧水), 1 tsp;

  Enough water to submerge the ribs

• To marinate:

  Salt, 1/2 tbsp;

  Soy sauce (生抽), 1/2 tbsp;

  Liaojiu a.k.a. Shaoxing wine (料酒/绍兴酒), 1/2 tbsp

• Starch coating:

  Cornstarch (玉米生粉), ~3 tbsp and

  Rice flour (粘米粉), ~3 tbsp (the rice flour can be subbed with additional cornstarch)

• Oil, for deep frying

• Garlic, 1 clove, minced

• Salt & pepper seasoning from above (it should be ~1 and 3/4 tsp)

• Optional: mild chilis or bell pepper, mix of green and red (for looks)

Process:

Soak the ribs with the alkaline solution for one hour. Then drain, and leave the ribs running under a trickle of running water for 5-10 minutes, jostling every so often.

Remove the ribs, and move to a towel/rag. An old t-shirt is perfect. Wrap the ribs and really make sure you've dried them out. I like to also pat dry with a paper towel for good measure. Transfer to a bowl, marinate with 1/2 tbsp salt, 1/2 tbsp soy sauce, and 1/2 tbsp Liaojiu aka Shaoxing wine.

Immediately before frying, coat the ribs with a mixture of ~3 tbsp cornstarch and ~3 tbsp rice flour. Fry the ribs at 145C for about 5 minutes, or until a chopstick can poke through. Remove, crank the temperature to ~195C, give a second fry for ~30 seconds. Take out and drain.

Remove the oil, wipe down the wok, no need to wash. Medium low flame, fry the garlic until fragrant. Add the ribs, mix. Add in ~1.75 tsp of salt and pepper seasoning, mix. Add the optional chilis for color, mix.

SICHUAN PEPPERCORN SOURCING

In this video we used quality Sichuan peppercorns - often the ones exported to the west can be seed-y, stem-y, and generally a little sad. For good Sichuan peppercorns online, check out Mala Market, Fly By Jing, or 50 Hertz: