Szechuan Peppercorns

These peppercorns were a great find the other day in Williams Sonoma. They are the key ingredient in Szechuan cuisine, and have a slightly lemony flavor without the heat of chilies and black peppercorn. They are, in fact, dried berries of a tree native to Asia and are one of the key ingredients in Chinese five-spice blend. They are used mainly in Asian cuisine, however, the tangy lemony flavor would adapt to many different types of cuisine, such as Marco Polo's Lobster Fra Diavalo which is an adaptation of the Italian classic (the recipe for this can be found on my blog Gourmet Fusion). William Sonoma suggest using them sparingly in stir-fries and other Chinese style dishes such as the recipe below for Salt and Pepper Shrimp.

Ingredients
1 tsp Szechuan peppercorns, toasted and coarsely ground
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tbs. plus 2 tsp. peanut oil
1 1/2 cups snow peas
2 green onions, light green portion only, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small dried red chili
Steamed rice for serving

Recipe
In a small bowl, combine the ground peppercorns and salt; set aside

In a bowl, stir together the shrimp and the 2 tsp peanut oil. Heat a wok over medium-high heat. Add the 2 tbs. peanut oil and heat until it just starts to smoke. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Transfer to a plate.

Return the wok to medium-high heat, add the snow peas and cook, stirring constantly, until just tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the green onions, garlic and chili and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Return the shrimp to the wok and cook, stirring constantly, until they are opaque throughout, about 1 minute more.

Remove the wok from the heat. Sprinkle 1 tsp. of the peppercorn mixture over the shrimp and stir to combine; add more of the mixture, to taste. Transfer to a serving dish and serve immediately with steamed rice. Serves 4.