Add Spice to Your Fries! Szechuan Salt Mix

Peppers Courtesy of 96dpi of Flickr under Creative Commons License by Attribution 2.0

There is nothing worse than drive-thru fries. Okay, that statement may not be true. Of course, one can sing about the virtues of the clown’s fries, or the coated fries of many other franchises. I say let’s beat them. Make your fries at home. If you want something that is truly efficient at beating the drive-thru, check out this seasoning for fries.

This recipe is inspired from a visit to a Szechwan restaurant. I can say that I had one of the most memorable experiences one can have. I sweated while eating all sorts of new stuff. Fish that floated in red oil that made my mouth burn, but had a salty fermented bean unami flavor that said we cannot stop! Top that with a flowery taste that exploded in my mouth, and you have the makings of something that red haired girl can’t give you through those window shutters.

This salt recipe is good for fries, steaks, calamari, and even popcorn if you are looking for something good.

Szechwan Pepper Salt Mix

Makes around 100 grams (about 1/2 cup)

Ingredients:

40 grams Szechwan peppercorns (Available at Chinese Ethnic Markets)
15 grams black peppercorns
15 grams smoked paprika
15 grams sweet paprika
30 grams kosher salt

Method:

Toast Szechwan pepper, and black peppercorns over medium heat until just smoking. (Agitate the pan to ensure even roasting.
Remove the peppercorns from the pan into a plate; allow to cool.
Grind the peppercorns to a fine powder, sieve to remove the Szechwan pepper husks.
Blend with the smoked paprika, paprika, and salt.
The mixture will keep in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks before it starts to lose the flowery flavor.

Tagged as: fries, kosher, paprika, pepper, peppercorn, popcorn, salt, smoked, Szechwan