Nepal species

Used plant part

Dried fruits. The aroma and, if present, also the pungency reside in the mostly brown fruit wall (pericarp, shell), not in the deep black seeds. Often, the seeds are omitted. I have repeatedly read that the seeds have bitter taste, but was never able to find that for myself. A better reason to remove them is their unpleasant, gritty texture that almost feels like sand between the teeth.

The Korean species Z. schinifolium has aromatic seeds which are preferred for usage, although the pericarp could also be used, as the flavours are the same. The spice as commercially available very often contains significant amounts of stem material, mostly the very tough and pointed thorns, which can be harmful if swallowed; it’s best to remove them before usage. In Japan, young leaves of the Sichuan pepper tree are used fresh, both as flavouring and decoration (kinome or konome

Plant family

Rutaceae (citrus family).

Sensory quality

The dried fruits of Sichuan pepper and its relatives have an aromatic odour that, for most species, can be described as lemon-like, with more or less pronounced warm and woodsy overtones. Some of the species have deviating flavour, e.g., Z. alatum (spicy) and Z. avicennae and Z. schinifolium both of which have an anise aroma.

The taste of most species is pungent and biting; it may take some time to develop, but in the end produces a strangly numbing, almost anaesthetic feeling on the tongue. Again, Z. schinifolium is an exception because it has only small pungent quality. Sichuan pepper (Z. piperitum) leaves have a fresh flavour somewhat in between of mint and lime.

Main constituents

Most Zanthoxylum species produce pungent alkamides derived prom polyunsaturated carboxylic acids, which are stored in the pericarp (fruit wall, shell) but not in the seeds. The exact nature of these alkamides may vary from species to species, but common examples are amides of 2E,6Z,8E,10E dodecatetraenoic acid, 2E,6E,8E,10E dodecatetraenoic acid, and 2E,4E,8Z,10E,12Z tetradecapentaenoic acid with isobutyl amin (known as α, β and γ sanshool, respectively) and 2-hydroxy isobutyl amin (hydroxy sanshools), which have been found in several different species of the genus. Total amide content can be as high as 3% (reported in Z. piperitum). Similar alkamides were found in a herb from South America called paracress.

Four types of culinary Sichuan pepper: Upper left Nepali timur (Zanthoxylum alatum), upper right Indonesian andaliman (Z. acanthopodium), lower left Indian tirphal (Z. rhetsa), lower right Chinese jiao (Z. piperitum/simulans) (200 dpi scan).

Within the ge­nus, a be­wildering collection of further, potentially interesting nonvolatile con­stituents has been identified: flavonoids, terpene alkaloids, benzo­phenthridine alkaloids, pyrano­quinoline alkaloids, quarternary isoquinoline alkaloids, aporphyrine alkaloids and several types of lignanes. The typical flavour of Sichuan peppers is due to essential oils which are, as a rule, mostly composed from terpenoids, but the exact composition varies considerably among the species, and sometimes even within the species. The following accounts on Zanthoxylum essential oils can only give a coarse overview on that matter. The essential oil (up to 4%) of Chinese Sichuan pepper (labelled as Z. piperitum, but could also be Z. simulans or other) as sold in Europe consists mostly of terpenes: Geraniol, linalool, cineol, citronellal; also dipentene was found. (Deutsch. Apoth-Zeit., 46, 2381, 1987) The fruits of the Taiwanese species, Z. simulans, yielded mainly β-myrcene, limonene, 1,8-cineol and (Z)-β-ocimene. The total content of essential oil was reported to be 1.7% (steam distillation) and 6.4% (carbon dioxide extraction). (Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 44, 1096, 1996) The leaves of Z. sansho (Japan, allegedly identical to Z. piperitum) contain mostly monoterpene derivatives (citronellal, citronellol) and unsaturated C6 compounds (e.g., Z-3-hexenal), which contribute to a grassy odour. (Bioscience, Biotechnology and Biochemistry, 61, 491, 1997) In the unripe fruits, the content of essential oil is reported to 0.6%, with β-phellandrene (42%), d-limonene (23%) and β-pinene (11%) being the main components. Terpene alcohols (geranyl acetate, citronellol, α-terpineol) were found in the 1 to 5% range. The young leaves (0.12%) yielded mostly terpene hydrocarbons. (Nippon Nogeikakaku Kaishi, 70,1001, 1996) The most abundant constituent in the essential oil of Z. acanthopodium (Indonesia) is geranyl acetate (35%); the flavour is, however, dominated by the citrus-scented compounds limonene and citronellal. Further components are β-myrcene, β-ocimene, linalool and E-1-decenal. (H. Wijaya, personal communication) (Food Science and Biotechnology, 11, 680, 2002)

Two Zanthoxylum used in Korean cooking: left chopi (Z. piperitum), right sancho (Z. schinifolium) (200 dpi scan).

The Korean species Z. schini­folium is parti­cularly interesting because it is almost non-pungent, and the essential oil distributes evenly between pericarp and seeds. The essential oil was shown to consist mainly of terpenoids (geraniol, limonene, geranyl acetate, β-phellandrene, phellandral, myrcene, linalool, α-pinene), but also nonterpenoid volatiles (p-isopropyl-2-cyclohexenone, caproic acid, caprylic acid) and especially phenylpropanoids (anethole, eugenol, methyl chavicol) have been found. (Han’guk Sikp’um Yongyang Hakhoechi, 11, 493, 1998) (Han’guk Sikp’um Yongyang Hakhoechi, 12, 119, 1999) (Zhongguo Zhongyao Zazhi, 16, 359, 1991) Z. alatum, a species growing in the Himalayas and figuring prominent in Tibetan and Nepali cooking, is reported to contain mostly linalool (more than 50%), further limonene, methyl cinnamate and cineol. (Flavour and Fragrance Journal, 16, 408, 2001) (Journal of Essential Oil Research, 10, 127, 1998) Also in the Indian species, Z. rhetsa (syn. Z. limonella), the essential oil (3.7%) has been shown to consist mainly of monoterpene derivatives: Sabinene, limonene, pinenes, para-cymene and terpinenes, furthermore the monoterpene alcohols 4-terpineol and α-terpineol. (Zeitschrift f. Lebensmitteluntersuchung und -forschung A, 206, 228, 1998) Another work on composition of the leaf oil found caryophyllene oxide (13%), caryophyllene (10%), β-copaene (5%) and spathulenol (3%); the same authors report sabinene (66%), α- and β-pinene (each 6%) and terpinen-4-ol (4%) in the seed oil. Although the authors actually write seed oil, I suspect that the work refers to the essential oil obtained from the pericarp. (Journal of essential oil research, 12, 179, 2000)

Sichuan pepper trunk with strong thorns

Origin

The term Sichuan pepper refers to a spice obtained form a group of closely related plants of genus Zantho­xylum. In Asia, most represen­tatives of this genus are found in the Himalaya region, furthermore in Central, South, South East and East Asia. American and African Zanthoxylum species have not yet been put to culinary use.

The most important species are: Z. piperitum DC = Z. sansho (Central and Eastern China, Japan, Korea), Z. simulans Hance = Z. bungei (China, Taiwan), Z. bungeanum Max. (China), Z. schinifolium Sieb. et Zucc. (China, Korea), Z. nitidum Roxb (DC) (China, peninsular South East Asia), Z. rhetsa Pierre var. budranga Pier. = Z. limonella (Western North India, peninsular South East Asia), Z. armatum DC = Z. alatum Roxb. (Himalaya, peninsular South East Asia, East Asia), Z. avicennae (Lamk) DC = Z. tidorense (China, peninsular South East Asia, Indonesia) and Z. acanthopodium DC (eastern Himalaya, China, peninsular South East Asia, Sumatra). All species mentioned here have their place in local cuisines and can (excepting Z. schinifolium) mostly be used interchangeably. Literature often gives contradicting information which spice is used where; furthermore, Zanthoxylum is a difficult genus with many different, similar and not well-researched species.

Chinese Sichuan pepper shrub © Laila Kolberg

Sichuan pepper panicle © Laila Kolberg

Etymology

Zanthoxylum is a dissimilated or probably simply false modification of Greek xanthon xylon [ξανθὸν ξύλον], yellow wood. Cf. German Gelbholz­baum yellow-wood tree and Polish pieprz żółtodrzew yellow-tree pepper (zółty yellow and drzewo tree; see also juniper for the linguistic affiliation of the latter).

Botanical species names of the species mentioned above are derived either by local names (rhetsa, sansho) or are of Latin/Greek origin: piperitus from Latin piper pepper because of the peppery taste; simulans imitating from simulare imitate for the similarity to other species; alatus winged for the leaves’ shape; nitidus shiny, for the bright leaves; armatus armed, from arma weapon for the mighty thorns; further, acanthopodius thistle-footed for similar reasons from Greek akantha [ἄκανθα] thistle, thorn and pous [πούς] foot; lastly schinifolius because the foliage looks like that of Peruvian Pink Pepper (Schinus molle). The English name prickly ash refers on one side to the numerous thorns of the plant (which are even commonly found in the dried spice), on the other side to the pinnate leaves, which very much resemble those of ash (Fraxinus excelsior). English ash goes back to the Indo-European name of this tree, H₃ES, and is, consequently, found in many Indo-European tongues (Old English æsc, German Esche, Old Norse askr, Lithuanian uosis, Armenian hatseni [հացենի], Russian yasen [ясень]); it must not be confused with its English homonym ash burned material, which derives (via Common Germanic ASKŌ) from an Proto-Indo-European verbal root H₂ES burn and also has relatives in nearly all Indo-European languages: English arid, German Esse chimney, Sanskrit ashani [अशनि] thunderbolt, Latin ara altar (for fire-worshiping), Greek azaleos dry, inflammable. The North American species, Z. americanum, is known as toothache tree. Due to the anaesthetic power of its alkamide constituents, the plant is effective in suppressing toothache temporarily if unripe fruits or the wood of young branches are chewed. Another plant rich in alkamides, paracress, has similar names. The Chinese name of Sichuan pepper is jiao  to distinguish from other hot spices, the name is often expanded to shan jiao  mountain pepper, hua jiao flower pepper or more rarely qin jiao Chinese pepper and chuan jiao  Sichuan pepper. While most European tongues name the spice Sichuan-pepper or China-pepper, one sometimes finds loan translations of the first two names, e.g., Hungarian virágbors flower pepper or German Bergpfeffer mountain pepper. In Western literature, the Chinese name of Sichuan pepper is sometimes given als fagara; in botanical taxonomy, that term denotes a related genus (the name was introduced by Linnaeus in the 17.th century). The word originates from a variant pronunciation of the logographs  cf. the Cantonese reading fajiu. Possibly, fagara stems from a related South Chinese dialect, or just goes back to an inaccurate transcription of the Cantonese name. Similar to English, which often uses the word pepper to denote pungent spices even if they are unrelated to pepper, Chinese often forms compound names with the jiao element for such spices. Thus, chile is la jiao  hot Sichuan pepper, long pepper is chang jiao [long Sichuan pepper, paprika is tian jiao sweet Sichuan pepper and allspice can be called gan jiao  which also means sweet Sichuan pepper. The most important compound of that type is hu jiao wild pepper (can also be interpreted as foreign pepper or barbarian’s pepper) which usually means black pepper, but can be applied to Sichuan pepper, too. That compound name may also appear in the name of pepperlike spices, e.g., hundred flavour wild (black) pepper (bi wei hu jiao , allspice) or wild (black) pepper from the West (ba xi hu jiao , pink pepper which is a spice native to America). Tasmanian pepper is called shan hu jiao] wild (black) pepper of the mountain, probably calqued on the English name mountain pepper (a name used predominantly in Australia for Tasmanian pepper).

Sichuan pepper stem with fruits and prickles © Laila Kolberg

The name of the dish dry-fried lamb with three types of jiao (sanjiao bao yangrou 肉]) is due to that ambiguity: Green bell peppers (qing jiao green pepper) and chiles (la jiao) are quickly fried in a wok and sprinkled with toasted Sichuan pepper (hua jiao). Chinese shan jiao is also the source of Korean sancho note, however, that this name refers to a related spice with completely different flavour. The spice corresponding to Chinese jiao is known as chopi in Korean; this name also shows a syllable derived from jiao. Similarly, Japanese sanshō  is adapted from Chinese shan jiao  mountain pepper. It is even spelt alike in Chinese and Japanese if the Japanese Kanji writing system is employed. The Kanji sign 山 means mountain also in Japanese, and like most Kanji, it has two distinct readings: Alone and in mostly natively Japanese words it is spoken yama (kun reading), e.g. archaic yama-kujira まくじら] wild boar (literally mountain whale) or in seiyō-yama-hakka  which is the Japanese name of lemon balm (literally foreign mountain-mint). Yet in words of Chinese origin one has to apply the on-reading which goes san, e.g. san-kei mountain path or the said name of Sichuan pepper, san-sho. Occasionally, the Kanji reading is totally irregular, e.g., in wasabi The Chinese term ma  basically means hemp fibre (it can also denote hemp or, by extension, sesame seeds); the sign shows plants (lin trees, forest) drying under a shed (chang [厂] factory, workhouse). Apparently, the narcotic properties of hemp motivated its use for the numbing flavour of Sichuan pepper.

Selected Links

The Epicentre: Szechwan Pepper Nature One Health: Prickly Ash chemikalienlexikon.de: Linalool Recipe: Sangsang (saksang) (eng.ohio-state.edu) Rezept von goccus.com: Shichimi tōgarashi  Recipe: Aurey Bendi (Indian Lima Beans) (groups.google.com) Rezept von goccus.com: Shui zhu niu rou (In Wasser gekochtes Rindfleisch) Recipe: Shui zhu niu rou (Sichuan water-boiled beef) (www.juoaa.org) Rezept: Shui zhu niu rou ] (In Wasser gekochtes Rindfleisch Sichuan-Art) (www.laohu.de) Rezept: Shui zhu niu rou  (Rindfleischtopf Sichuan-Art) (chefkoch.de) Recipe: Nepali Meat and Vegetable Momos (groups.google.com) Sichuan Food’s Signature Fire Is Becoming Hard to Find — About the Ban of Sichuan Pepper in the USA Sichuan is hot and spicy; the food too! (gluckman.com) Gewürz-Bazar: Nepalpfeffer (timbur)

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Zanthoxylum flower

Sichuan pepper branch with fruits

The several species of Sichuan pepper are widely distributed over Asia, but are not used as spice throughout the region. Sichuan pepper is most important in the cuisines of Central China and Japan, but the related species (which I shall call Sichuan pepper as well, for simplicity) is also known in parts of India, the whole Himalaya region, and in selected spots in South East Asia. Its usage has, however, not spread to the most of South East Asia. In China, the spice Sichuan pepper (jiao) is obtained from several local species of Zanthoxylum, and therefore the quality of the spice varies regionally. Although it is often claimed that Z. piperitum is the canonical source of Sichuan pepper, it appears that actually Z. bungeanum, Z. simulans, Z. planispinum and Z. armatum are most commonly used. According to reports from the field of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Z. bungeanum is the most valued of these, and the others are considered as inferior substitutes.
Chinese Sichuan pepper is part of the five spice powder (see star anise). It is most characteristic of, but not restricted to, the cooking style of Sichuan, a cool highland province in Central China. For examples of the usage of Sichuan pepper in Sichuan-style Chinese cooking, see orange (on the beef stew au larm) and sesame (on the spicy bean cheese food mapo doufu ; see also cassia on the pan-Chinese master sauce cooking technique.

Ripe Sichuan pepper fruits perso.wanadoo.fr

The character­istic biting or numbing taste of Sichuan pepper makes it an indispensable spice for Sichuan cookery; if it is omitted or substituted by black pepper or chiles alone, the foods would appear flat or lifeless to any true Chinese connoisseur. In Chinese culinary theory, this type of pungency is important enough to get its own name (ma , to have a clear distinction to the type of heat provided by other hot spices (which is named la . To increase the ma-ness of food at the table, Sichuan pepper is often used as a condiment; a chile-laden Sichuan stew covered with a thick layer of freshly ground Sichuan pepper is indeed a food one does not forget easily. The two types of hotness very well complement each other (ma la [麻辣] hot-and-numbing). Combination of chiles fire and tickling ma is typical for Sichuan cooking; yet similar creations are, in a lesser degree, found, e.g., in Brazil and Indonesia, where paracress takes up the part of Sichuan pepper.
Many Chinese foods, especially such originating from Sichuan, have an intensive ma-la flavour. Apart from the former mentioned mapo doufu, one cound mention a Sichuan version of beef stew, water-cooked beef shui zhu niu rou [水煮牛肉]. The dish draws its extreme pungency from a combination of chile-bean-paste (doubanjiang), chiles browned in hot oil, and Sichuan pepper that has undergone the same procedure. Stock is added to yield a fiery liquid that is used to rapidly cook vegetables and thinly sliced beef (sometimes pork). On serving, the whole dish is topped with crushed chiles and Sichuan pepper.
In Chinese cooking, Sichuan pepper is often used in the form of flavoured salt (jiao yan [ or hua jiao yan . To prepare this typical Sichuan flavouring, coarse salt and dried Sichuan pepper are toasted together until some smoke evolves; after cooling, both are ground together to coarse powder. This peppered salt is a common table condiment in China. Occasionally, flavoured salt also prepared from black pepper instead of Sichuan pepper (hu jiao yan
A similar usage is found in Japan, where the spice (sansho, sanshō, sanshou is produced from the species Z. piperitum: The popular condiment shichimi tōgarashi らし] is composed of hot red chiles, Sichuan pepper, tangerine or orange peel and smaller amounts of black and white sesame seed, poppy seed and sea weed (nori , のり]). All components are ground together to a coarse texture. Shichimi tōgarashi is mainly a table condiment which is sprinkled over noodle soups and hotpots.
The Japanese variant of Sichuan pepper is also used to flavour meats fried on a hot plate (teppanyaki  ; unfortunately, it is often substituted by the cheaper white pepper, particularly outside of Japan. Japanese Sichuan pepper is mostly traded ground, and it has both a fresh, pleasant lime fragrance and a well-developed pungency.

Ripe Sichuan pepper fruits

Sichuan pepper fruits

The Nepali variety of Sichuan pepper, Z. alatum

Korean cuisine is probably the only in the world that utilizes two different Zanthoxylum species. Chopi [초피] is exactly the same species as Japanese sansho and very similar to Chinese jiao; it is used for a wide variety of foods (meat, fish, vegetables), sometimes even for kim chi (see chile). On the other hand, sancho [산초] derives from the related species Z. schinifolium and is a uniquely Korean flavouring wholly distinct from Japanese sansho; is has a mild, aromatic flavour somewhat in between of Thai horapha basil and star anise. The ground seeds often flavour pickles and hot sauces.
In Western and South Western India, cooks sometimes use another relative of Sichuan pepper with slightly larger capsules (Z. rhetsa = Z. limonella); it is called tirphal [तिरफळ] in Marathi and triphala [ત્રિફળા] in Gujarati. Usage of that otherwithe unknown spice is mostly restricted to India’s West coast (Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka), where it is used for fish dishes. Contrasting the conventional Indian cooking habits, it is normally not combined with other spices since its flavour is considered delicate and gets easily lost among other spices. Chinese Sichuan pepper is a fully satisfying substitute.
In Nepali cooking, a local species of Sichuan pepper (Z. armatum = Z. alatum) is used as a spice. The dark, almost black, capsules are significantly more pungent than the Chinese ones; their scent is very strong, almost pervasive, and very spicy; it reminds more of rose and cassia than to lemon, although it lacks any sweet quality. Nepali Sichuan pepper is used for curries and pickles; it’s one of the most frequently used spices in the cuisine of Nepal.
The same type of Sichuan pepper Sichuan pepper is one of the few spices important in the cuisines of the Himalayan peoples, for example in Tibetan and Bhutanese cookery. Because of the unique climate, few spices can be grown in Tibet; instead, flavourings of animal origin are used, especially various types of cheese. The national dish of Tibet and Nepal is a kind of stuffed pasta called momo  The most popular version of this dish, sha momo, uses a stuffing of ground meat (typically, mutton or yak) flavoured with Sichuan pepper, garlic, ginger and onion. The noodles are traditionally simmered in yak broth, but today more often steamed due to Chinese influence. They are served dry, often topped with chopped chives, and together with either garlic water or a fiery chile sauce. Sometimes, they are fried after steaming. Particularly among the Tibetan diaspora in India, vegetarian momo stuffed with cheese, potatoes oder green vegetables have become popular.
Tibetan cooking also makes use of the combination of chiles with Sichuan pepper, quite obviously a culinary loan of mala foods from China; after all, Tibet borders the fiery Sichuan province, and today that province also houses a significant number of Tibetan families. The spicy noodle soup malaphing [མ་ལ་ཕིང་] could also be served in a Sichuan restaurant: Cabbage leaves and flat noodles are cooked in a quite salty broth augmented with soy sauce, which is remarkably close to the liquid used for the water-boiled beef; on serving, it is flavoured with chile paste, crushed garlic, dark sesame oil and ground Sichuan pepper.

Twig of the Indonesian relative of Sichuan pepper, Z. acanthopodium

Yet another type of Sichuan pepper grows wild on the Indonesian island Sumatra, where it is used as a spice by a few ethnic groups. In Indonesian cookbooks, this spice is sometimes termed Indonesian lemon pepper, which must not be confused with the lemon-flavoured black pepper found in Western supermarkets. The spice, in Indonesia known as andaliman, is less pungent than other types of Sichuan pepper and has a more intensive lime fragrance, similar to the Japanese species. It could perhaps be substituted by a mixture of Chinese or Japanese Sichuan pepper plus some fresh lemon grass or better lemon myrtle leaves.
Indonesian Sichuan pepper is most characteristic for the cuisine of the Batak, a formerly animistic and now Christian people inhabiting a small area in the Northern part of Sumatra. Batak food is quite hot and spicy, e.g., sangsang, bits of pork meat and viscera stewed in a thick, spicy sauce containing pig’s blood. See also lemon grass for Indonesian cookery in general.
On Indonesia’s main island, Jawa, there is another local type of Sichuan pepper in culinary use: Z. avicennae, also known as karangeang in Western Jawa. According to my sparse literature, the leaves have a coriander flavour, and the fruits remind of anise.
Sichuan pepper cannot really be called fiery, but it has an unusual tickling pungency, which gives way to a characteristic numb sensation (ma in Chinese). Thus, Sichuan pepper cannot be used to prepare hot food. The only other spices with a similar anaesthetic power are Tasmanian pepper, which additionally can provide true peppery heat, paracress, and, to a lesser extent, water pepper leaves. Water pepper seeds have a much increased pungency, and it is remarkable that this spice is not used traditionally in the cooking of any country, despite its easy availability and large distribution in Eurasia. See also negro pepper for a more detailed discussion of hot spices.
Import of Sichuan pepper to the USA was banned in recent years in order to prevent spread of the citrus canker disease. Citrus canker is caused by a bacterium (Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri) that infects several members of family Rutaceae, particularly citrus fruits; being highly contagious and impossible to cure, citrus canker now poses a severe threat to the orange industry in Florida. For fear of importing new strains of the pathogen, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) had set a general ban on several herbal products, including Chinese Sichuan pepper. The ban was lifted in 2005 for Sichuan pepper that had been heat-treated in order to kill any bacteria present. Since then, lovers of Chinese food in the USA do no longer rely on smuggled spices.

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Dried fruits of Z. rhetsa, an North Indian relative of Sichuan pepper (tilfda, tirphal, tippal)

Dried fruits of Z. acanthopodium, an Indonesian relative of Sichuan pepper (andaliman, intir-intir)

Dried fruits of Z. piperitum (or Z. simulans?), Chinese Sichuan pepper (fagara, jiao)

Nepalese Sichuan pepper (timur [तिम्बुर])

Dried fruits and seeds of the Korean species Z. schinifolium (sancho [산초])

Dried fruits of Korean Z. piperitum (chopi Revel in a day of discovery with our full day excursion to the Ayurvedic Herbal Pharmacies in Banepa and Arubari. Today we will learn about a variety of medicinal herbal and aromatic plants and the way they are used in Ayurveda to help cure and prevent diseases, and promote good health. Later in the day we enjoy a lecture with Vaidya Madhu on The Preparation of Ayurvedic Remedies, where we will learn about the different combinations of plants and herbs used to create medicinal remedies. Overnight in Kathmandu Black Cardamom Posted on November 8, 2010 by admin Black cardamom (also known as brown cardamom, elaichi, thảo quả and tsao-ko) is a plant in the family Zingiberaceae. Its seed pods have a strong camphor-like flavor. The pods are used as a spice, in a manner similar to the regular Indian cardamom pods, but those have a drastically different flavor. Unlike green cardamom, this spice is rarely used in sweet dishes and has a smoky taste. Culinary Uses Black cardamom is used as a primary component in the Indian and Nepali spice blend garam masala, along with coriander seeds, black pepper, cloves, and cinnamon. It pairs well with other “heating spices,” and is excellent in rice dishes and curries containing either meat or vegetables. Medicinal Benefits It is broadly used to treat infections in teeth and gums, to prevent and treat throat troubles, congestion of the lungs and pulmonary tuberculosis, inflammation of eyelids and also digestive disorders. Entrees at Himalayan Restaurant with Black Cardamom The most famous entrees with Black Cardamom are: Peas Pulav, Briyani, Lamb Curry Black cardamom is, in most books, described as an inferior substitute to green cardamom, but this is simply untrue. In India, black cardamom has its special field of application, and although green and black cardamoms are frequently interchangeable, the black variety is felt superior for spicy and rustic dishes, while green cardamom is much preferred by the Imperial (Mughal) cuisine with its subtle blend of sweet fragrances. Black cardamom can be used in rather liberal amounts, up to a few capsules per person. The smoky fragrance of the pure spice is not discernible in the finished dish; black cardamom cannot dominate a dish, but en­hances and intensi­fies the taste of other in­gredients. The pods should be slightly crushed before usage, but not so much that the seeds are released; you may remove them before serving (though I do not), but if you don’t, be sure to warn your guests about dark, woody and, hmmm, intensive tasting objects in the sauce. Black cardamom, as other spices used in Northern India, needs some time to develop its aroma best. This behaviour is shared by other unground spices, like cinnamon, cloves and green cardamom, all of which are popular in Northern India and mostly used unground (see also onion). Thus, it is generally a good idea to prepare Northern Indian dishes of braising type (kormas) a few hours or even one day in advance. The dried flower remains attached to each pod in the cluster Although there are many distinct species of black cardamom, ranging in pod size from 2 cm (A. subulatum, Nepal to North Vietnam) to more than 5 cm (A. tsao-ko, China), their tastes do not differ much, although only the Nepal variety is smoked. Apart from usage in Indian (and Nepali) cuisine, they are not much known, but have some regional importance in Central and Southern China. There, the ground seeds are an optional ingredient to the five spice powder (see star anise). In the mountains of Sichuan province in central China, black cardamom is commonly employed in long-simmered meet stews together with other dried spices. Slowly simmered foods, particularly of beef, are rather typical for Sichuan cookery (see Sichuan pepper for an example) and are less frequently found in other Chinese cooking styles. The term xiang liao [香 料] fragrant grains refers to such mixtures of dried spices which are prepared differently for each recipe. Typical components of xiang liao are cassia, Sichuan pepper, black cardamom, star anise and lesser galangale; less commonly, Sichuan cooks employ greater galangale, cloves, nutmeg and licorice. See also cassia on another Chinese cooking technique that uses dried spices, namely master sauce. List of Nepali Spices (Mar-Masala) [Names in English and Nepali] We found out that the Nepali-Speaking people living in foreign lands are having difficulties for shopping spices. So, we have created a list of most-used Nepali Species with their names in Nepali and English and their photos from web. We hope this makes your kitchen-life a little bit easier. If we missed any of your favorite spices, please let us know by commenting on the form BELOW.And please dont forget to subscribe, if you want be in touch with these kinds of stuffs.

अदुवा Ginger	छोटा अलैची Green Cardamom	बडा अलैची Black Cardamom	धनिया Coriander Seed
बाह्र मसला Spice Mixture	दालचीनी Cinnamon	हरियो धनिया Coriander Leaf	पिसेको धनिया Coriander Powder
गुलाब जल Rose Water	शक्कर Unrefined Sugar	जाइफल Nutmeg	ज़ीरा Cumin seed
पिसेको जीरा Cumin Powder	बिरे नून Black salt	कालो अलैची Black Cardamom	मेथी Fenugre
तोरी Mustard	लहसुन Garlic	लवाँग Cloves	पुदीना Mint
तोरीको तेल Mustard Oil	सुप Fennel seed	तेज पत्ता Malabathrum	तिल Sesame seed