Tag: Sichuan Peppercorns

AlbuquerqueAsianChineseNew MexicoRating: N/R (Not Rated)

Fei’s Cafe – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:12 AM

Some say the map of China looks like a chicken.  The province of Sichuan in Southwest China would be right in the stomach of that chicken.  That’s fitting because the cuisine of Sichuan is internationally renowned for its liberal use of spice.  What characterizes Sichuan from the other regions of China is its use of Sichuan peppercorn, chilies, and the ability to take even the most mundane of ingredients to create fabulous dishes.  There’s a term for the flavor profile associated with Sichuan cuisine.  It’s the word “mala” which translates to “numbing spice.”  The “ma” portion of that term comes from the use of Sichuan Peppercorns (which are actually in the same botanical family as citrus, not chilies).  Sichuan peppercorns create a tingly, electric, buzzing, salivating, sensation on the palate. Sichuan peppercorns  are not spicy. The heat in Sichuan cuisine comes from la – or spicy. A variety of chilies are used in Sichuan cuisine. When long-time reader Nathaniel recommended Fei’s Cafe, he explained “It’s by far the best Chinese food I’ve had in ABQ, comparable to Boston or LA. It’s a real hole in the wall and really authentic. They don’t seem to be getting a lot of business, for…

AlbuquerqueChineseNew MexicoRating: Excellent

Nio Szechuan – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno12:01 AM

Several years ago Mike Muller, my friend and former colleague at Intel was sent to Chengdu, the capital of the providence of Szechuan in Southwest China.  It was an assignment I would have loved.  Unfortunately I could barely spell the name of the enterprise asset management application Mike would be training our Chinese counterparts how to use.  From an application and business knowledge perspective, Mike was the perfect man for the job.  From the perspective of culinary culture, Intel should have sent me.  Our counterparts may not have learned much about the asset management tool, but we would have had a great time feasting on the incendiary delights for which the Szechuan region is famous. Mike is “bizarro Gil,” my polar opposite when it comes to dining.  He’s absolutely brilliant, hilariously funny and a great family man, but to him adventurous dining would be using honey mustard on his chicken nuggets instead of barbecue sauce.  Mike often joked about creating a blog in which he would publish reviews of all his favorite chain restaurants:  Olive Garden, Applebee’s, Mimi’s and the like.  He nearly broke my heart when he told me about a trip to Santa Fe which culminated in a…