Szechuan Pepper Salt with butterflied BBQ Prawns

Gary and Dad and I made these prawns on the weekend and they got demolished in about 5 minutes!

Sichuan pepper or Szechuan pepper, a common spice used in Asian cuisine, is derived from at least two species of the global genus Zanthoxylum, which belong in the citrus family. This did not surprise me because when I tried to take an objective smell of Gary's bowl of Sichuan Pepper Salt I detected a subtle citrus tang to the edge of its warm earthyness.

Ingredients

Szechuan Peppercorns

Murray River Salt flakes

Fresh green King Prawns

Method

Dry roast the pods on a dry pan till they are smoking and aromatic but not burning.

Remove and powderize with the salt in a spice blender (mini coffee grinders work well).

Butterfly the prawns, leaving the shells on, and remove waste tube down the centre.

Drizzle with olive oil and BBQ till just cooked.

Sprinkle the Szechuan Pepper Salt over them to serve.





I love Cardamom

Cardamom (or cardamon) refers to several plants of the genera Elettaria and Amomum in the ginger family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to India and Bhutan; they are recognised by their small seed pod, triangular in cross-section and spindle-shaped, with a thin papery outer shell and small black seeds. The word cardamom is derived from the Latin cardamomum. It is the third most expensive spice in the world, outstripped in terms of its market value by only saffron and vanilla. Cardamom has a strong, unique taste, with an intensely aromatic, resinous fragrance. Cardamom is best stored in pod form because once the seeds are exposed or ground they quickly lose their flavor.

 

My dear friend Eliza made this Beetroot Cake with Cardamom Frosting with me. We picked beets from my garden and added more cardamom than the recipe specified. Yay!

Please Eliza, can you post the recipe?