Sansho pepper is the peppercorns of the prickly ash tree. It has a vibrant, peppery lemon flavor with prolonged residual heat and is sprinkled over grilled eel, chicken, noodle dishes, and more.
Sansho pepper (山椒) is a powder made from the ground berries of Japanese prickly ash. It is a cousin to the Chinese Sichuan peppercorn and is botanically classified as Zanthoxylum piperitum. The berries have pocked, bumpy skin and are vibrant green.
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What is Sansho Pepper
Sansho pepper is a spice used in powder and whole form. It has a delightful tingling and numbing sensation on your tongue.
Sansho peppers are often used in Japanese cuisine to impart a citrus flavor, with a slightly numbing sensation on your tongue. Use the peppers to flavor rice, noodles, nabemono (hot pot dishes), and broths or sprinkle on grilled meats and seafood such as Unagi and Yakitori. Sansho peppers are one of the ingredients of shichimi togarashi.
Other parts of the plant, such as the flower, buds, young leaves, roots, and bark, are used in Japanese cuisine. The fresh leaves, called kinome (木の芽, literally “tree buds”), are used as decorative garnishes over grilled fish, bamboo shoots, rice, and soups. They are used to denote spring seasonality in food.
What Does It Taste Like
The strong citrus flavor has a pleasant, lasting tingle and a cooling sensation. It’ll stimulate your saliva glands and taste buds.
Difference between Chinese and Japanese Pepper
While Chinese pepper has a punchy and strong flavor, Japanese pepper is more delicate.
Japanese Pepper
Red sansho pepper (赤山椒) – a plant native to Japan
- Mild spiciness without a strong numbing effect.
- Refreshing, mellow, fruity scent.
Green sansho pepper (青山椒) – a plant native to Japan
- Numbing spiciness.
- Refreshing and fresh citrus scent.
Chinese Pepper
Sichuan pepper (花椒 Hoa Jiao) – a plant native to China
- Numbing spiciness.
- Very strong and refreshing scent.
Green pepper (青山椒 Tanjiao) – a plant native to China
- Mild spiciness without a strong numbing effect compared to Japanese green pepper.
- Fresher and more refreshing scent than Sichuan pepper.
- Has an elegant taste.
How To Use It
Sprinkle the condiment over unagi, poultry, fish, seafood, ramen noodles, and miso soup for the citrusy, floral fragrance and tingly sensation. You could also use it in Western dishes, such as steak sauce, salad dressing, or grilled vegetables.
Recipes Using Sansho
- Unadon (Eel Rice) 鰻丼
- Mapo Tofu 麻婆豆腐
- Hokkaido Salmon Hot Pot (Ishikari Nabe) 石狩鍋
- Sanpeijiru (Japanese Salmon Soup) 三平汁
Where To Buy
Find sansho powder in Japanese and Asian markets. Fresh sansho berries may be difficult to find outside of Japan.
How To Store
Store it in a dry place away from humidity and direct sunlight, like other dried spices.
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