Explain to me why you can't buy "real" Sechuan peppers in Thailand?

[Jingthing]

Let's consider a map of the world.

 

Thailand is not that far from CHINA.

Thailand is VERY FAR from the USA.

Thailand has a lot of ethnic Chinese citizens and many Chinese tourists as well.

As does the USA. 

 

Now explain to me, why you can easily find real deal Sechuan peppers (that are still fresh, strong, tasty, and provide the "numbing" bubbly mouth feel that they should) but in Thailand you can't.

 

The only Chinese restaurants doing Sechuan dishes that have the real deal ones (most don't) all tell me they must import them directly from China ... like friends flying in or something like that.

 

Yes you can buy a type of these peppers in Thailand ... they are flat, not fresh, no flavor, and almost no bubbly mouth feel. 

 

I really don't understand this situation. Can someone explain?

By bubbly mouth feel, I mean the way you can test the strength of this food. After eating them, drink a glass of plain water. If the water turns to a feel like SODA water, then you've got the real deal. You can tell before by the flavor and mouth feel, but that's a good acid test.

Edited October 1, 2016 by Jingthing

[Oxx]

(1) It is available here, but is expensive, in tiny jars imported from the USA.  I have a jar of McCormick brand in the kitchen.

 

(2) Very few of the Thai-Chinese here are from Szechuan province, so there's no demand.  The pepper really isn't used much in other Chinese cuisines.

 

(3) The Thai people I've cooked for using it didn't like it at all.

Edited October 2, 2016 by Oxx

[Oxx]

Got the brand wrong.  It's "Bart".

 

The once spice I find difficult to find is cardamom pods.  Found a packet a few years ago in Big C.  Ran out six months ago, and haven't found any anywhere since then.  (TOPS has cardamom powder, but it's not the same.) I find this really curious since cardamom is used in Thai cuisine - particularly in the south.

[Jingthing]

Where can I find this Bart stuff? The actual stuff isn't that hard to find. It's marketed to Thais for crab boils. The flavor is about one percent of what it should be. Not worth bothering with.
Also not talking about fancy blended spice mixtures with some sechuan pepper. That's totally not what I'm looking for. Ok for some kind of fusion thing but it's not for cooking actual sechuan dishes.

You also can't buy the sechuan fermented broad bean paste either as far as I've discovered. You would think Bangkok Chinatown but Chinese restaurants have told me they import themselves when they use it.

[Oxx]

I'm fairly sure it was in TOPS, but it might have been Villa.

[Jingthing]

I did see an imported spice blend before that included some sechuan seasoning. Is that what you meant or did you mean a container of only the sechuan peppers whole? For those that don't know sechuan peppers aren't technically peppers. They are also not hot like actual pepper. Another name is prickly ash.

[Oxx]

Not a blend.  Whole Szechuan peppercorns.

[Jingthing]

Not a blend.  Whole Szechuan peppercorns.

Maybe I spaced out and missed that. I reckon their absurdly priced. Imported and then packaged and exported to Thailand. In Chinese markets in the U.S. you can get a big bag quite cheap and they're quite strong. But they go stale fairly quickly.

[CLW]

Found Szechuan pepper at Max Value Gateway Ekkamai.
After I know what the package looks like I also could spot it at my local Big C. At the bottom of the shelf though, hard to find...
Cardamom pods I bought also from Max Value.
Central Gourmet market at Siam Paragon has both.

[Jingthing]

Have tried that local brand multiple times. Almost no flavor. Also no numbing sensation. Anyone that has tried the real deal would know the difference instantly even by just SMELL. Waste of money if trying to cook actual Chinese Sechuan dishes. Well, not a lot of money, as they're cheap. 

 

Another funny story. There is newish Chinese restaurant in Pattaya with lots of Sechuan dishes. For months after they first opened the dishes that called for the peppers had the real deal, numbing Sechuan peppers. I always ask for them so they know what I want. In recent months, even though they know I want them, either not there or very stale ones without the flavor and numbing. I am guessing they originally brought them in from China and now don't have them any more, at least temporarily. Frustrating. 

There are language issues but they understand. Recently I got a Sechuan hot pot. I asked for it MA-LA which is what you say to describe spicy hot AND Sechuan pepper numbing (different peppers). It come super spicy hot and no numbing. Not good. So the owner came out, knowing I had asked for MA-LA, smiled coyly, and said LA indicating the MA was missing.

 

It is kind of like a drug. A legal drug. Don't tell the authorities!

 

http://themalaproject.com/

 

My Favorite Buzz: Sichuan Peppercorn~~ “My mouth is sleeping,” Fong Chong said as she worked her way through a plate of mala-flavored cabbage stir-fry. “But she opens and lets me eat.” And there you have it in a nutshell, the addictive power of Sichuan pepper. If there is one taste most closely associated with Sichuan cuisine, it is Sichuan peppercorn, the numbing spice. The bride of the chili pepper in many Sichuan dishes, it is the má—numbing—to chili pepper’s là—spicy hot—in the word málà, which is practically synonymous with Sichuan food....

Edited March 20, 2017 by Jingthing

[Morch]

On 10/2/2016 at 5:08 PM, Oxx said:

Got the brand wrong.  It's "Bart".

 

The once spice I find difficult to find is cardamom pods.  Found a packet a few years ago in Big C.  Ran out six months ago, and haven't found any anywhere since then.  (TOPS has cardamom powder, but it's not the same.) I find this really curious since cardamom is used in Thai cuisine - particularly in the south.

 

We used to get cardamom pods from the Indian shops on Pahurat. Easy to find, quality varies.

[CLW]

 
We used to get cardamom pods from the Indian shops on Pahurat. Easy to find, quality varies.

Can you remember what kind of cardamom you bought?
The one I posted earlier is actually only the 2nd choice because it's the lower quality round cardamom.
I would like to get the green cardamom.

[Morch]

5 minutes ago, CLW said:

Can you remember what kind of cardamom you bought?
The one I posted earlier is actually only the 2nd choice because it's the lower quality round cardamom.
I would like to get the green cardamom.

 

Not, not the round stuff...the "real" thing. We don't use the ones in the pic. But again, not always great quality. 

[PoorSucker]

Neighbour village at my Chiang Mai house have them in loose weight in barrels.

It's just on the Burmese border, 97% of the population is Yunnan Chin.

They have amazing authentic Yunnan cuisine there.

 

They settled there during Maos ethnic cull.

 

 

 

 

When it's season, you will get avocado there for 20baht / kg.

Strawberry, peaches, bell pepper 20 baht.

The Friday market attracts Burmese, Chin, Thai and all seven hill tribes.

Amazing.... It's so diverse that nobody notice a single westerner.

 

 

 

 

[tutsiwarrior]

On 5/21/2017 at 7:06 PM, PoorSucker said:

Neighbour village at my Chiang Mai house have them in loose weight in barrels.

It's just on the Burmese border, 97% of the population is Yunnan Chin.

They have amazing authentic Yunnan cuisine there.

 

They settled there during Maos ethnic cull.

 

 

 

 

 

When it's season, you will get avocado there for 20baht / kg.

Strawberry, peaches, bell pepper 20 baht.

The Friday market attracts Burmese, Chin, Thai and all seven hill tribes.

Amazing.... It's so diverse that nobody notice a single westerner.

 

 

 

 

 

peaches??? fresh peaches in Thailand??? oooh man, and nice scenery to boot...

 

re: the spices ye gotta remember that any packaged spice will become stale after about 6 months or so so always best to check the date...I've got unopened bags of stuff that I brought from saudi  8 mos ago that I haven't used yet and the flavor is now probably finished, green cardamon pods and etc...whole spices like coriander, cumin and etc ye can still grind and extract a bit, cardamon pods not...

 

 

Edited May 26, 2017 by tutsiwarrior

[CLW]

 
peaches??? fresh peaches in Thailand???  
 

Check out the Royal Project stores, they have Thai peach and plum right now.
The peaches are to die for, better than the ones in Europe

[tutsiwarrior]

better than Europe???

 

tutsi is in a local supermarket in the 16th arrondissment and is admiring the peaches onna June afternoon...then he purchases a kilo and then back at the holiday flat admires them further....and then he consumes while gazing over the rooftops of Paris and no words in any language can describe what followed...

 

we ain't got none of them Royal Project markets in Suphanburi...the travails of nakhon nowhere...

 

 

Edited May 26, 2017 by tutsiwarrior

[CLW]

better than Europe???
 
tutsi is in a local supermarket in the 16th arrondissment and is admiring the peaches onna June afternoon...then he purchases a kilo and then back at the holiday flat admires them further....and then he consumes while gazing over the rooftops of Paris and no words in any language can describe what followed...
 
we ain't got none of them Royal Project markets in Suphanburi...the travails of nakhon nowhere...
 
 

Okay, I should have been more specific. Peaches you get in Germany are not so delicious. Because they pick them not ripe and ship them from France or Spain.
I would guess there's a Royal Project store inside Kasetsart University, Kampaeng Saen campus, Nakhon Pathom province. Not sure though.
Depending where you are in Suphanburi province it's not that far. You ride motorbike? It could be a nice trip [emoji41]