East Asia

Green Sichuan Pepper

Zanthoxylum armatum / Zanthoxylum schinifolium.

Dried husk.

Part Used

Dried whole husks.

Form

Local / Regional Names

Qing huajiao (Mandarin).

Countries / Cuisines

China (Sichuan, and increasingly other provinces).

Flavor & Aroma

Sharper, more intensely numbing and citrus-forward than red Sichuan pepper, with a fresher, almost lime-like top note.

Culinary Uses

Used where an especially sharp, bright numbing effect is desired, increasingly popular in modern Sichuan restaurant cooking.

Classic Dishes

Boiled fish in green pepper broth (shui zhu style variants); modern mala preparations.

Pairings

Fresh green chile, cilantro, garlic.

Timing

Toast briefly before use, as with red Sichuan pepper.

Storage

Keeps a year or more sealed and dark, though its brighter aromatics fade somewhat faster than red Sichuan pepper's.

Substitutions

Red Sichuan pepper for a rounder, less sharp result.

Cultural / History Notes

Has grown significantly in restaurant popularity in recent decades as a distinct ingredient from red Sichuan pepper, rather than a simple color variant of the same product.

Blend Cross-References

Modern mala spice blend variations.