How would I make my own (culinary) paste?
January 17, 2019 12:42 AM   Subscribe

I am trying to make my own spicy paste from Sichuan Peppercorns, for a loved one who is off of nightshades (which include tomatoes and chili peppers). I love Chinese Ma La sauce (the main ingredient in Ma Po Tofu aka "Granny's Spicy Bean Curd") but it has both of those ingredients. My first thought is just to grind up some Sichuan Peppercorns (aka hua chiao, prickly ash, Zanthoxylum) and mash them into some oil. But that doesn't seem quite right. What about aquafaba (the liquid in a can of beans)? Other suggestions?
posted by msalt to Food & Drink (21 answers total) 6 users marked this as a favorite
 
How about using miso paste as a carrier?

This recipe uses 5 spice, but you could add or replace with peppercorns: https://goop.com/recipes/spicy-miso-sauce/
posted by Dwardles at 1:07 AM on January 17, 2019 [3 favorites]


From a flavour point of view, it’s probably worth experimenting with adding some combination of salt/sweet/sour/umami to round out the flavour. Miso would do some of that, as well as thickening it, but alternatively just add salt and/or vinegar, msg etc. At the very least I would try adding a bit of salt.
posted by Bloxworth Snout at 2:23 AM on January 17, 2019 [1 favorite]


I would only add salt or msg and heat the oil first to give a smoky flavor. See this recent ask about Ma La type sauces for additional related recipes.
posted by SaltySalticid at 4:18 AM on January 17, 2019


Sichuan peppercorns by themselves are numbing, not hot. You need some capsaicin in there from somewhere.
posted by zjacreman at 4:32 AM on January 17, 2019 [3 favorites]


You could use black pepper for heat (or, possibly more adventurously, mustard or horseradish), as an alternative to chillis. It’s an interesting exercise, it makes me curious to experiment myself.
posted by Bloxworth Snout at 4:47 AM on January 17, 2019 [1 favorite]


This recipe has Sichuan peppercorn paste as a component- using peppercorns, ginger and scallions.

When I'm trying something new I like to look at adjacent recipes for ingredient, technique and proportion ideas - even if I do something completely different. Hope that helps!
posted by bunderful at 4:58 AM on January 17, 2019


Here is an interesting recipe that uses sweet potato (or squash) with vinegar and black peppers. I might try it myself!
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 5:52 AM on January 17, 2019 [1 favorite]


You mention tomatoes, but I've never seen a recipe for this that includes tomatoes. Wikipedia lists dried chili peppers, chili powder, douban paste, Sichuan peppercorns, clove, garlic, star anise, black cardamom, fennel, ginger, cinnamon, salt and sugar; I would experiment with a little more peppercorn and ginger when you take out the chili.
posted by pinochiette at 6:56 AM on January 17, 2019 [1 favorite]


Folks, the OP is looking for something that has no chiles at all in it.

That said, I'm wondering, would pure capsaicin powder be off limits? My thinking is that, being pure, it should contain very little or none at all of the other components of nightshade plants, and so could well be safe for someone who was off nightshades in general — unless it was the capsaicin itself they were sensitive to.

It is an ingredient to be very, very respectful of and handle very carefully, but it would get you the right kind of heat. It wouldn't get you the richness of flavor and the fruity/smoky quality that you get from actual oil-fried chiles. But ma po tofu also often has fermented chili bean paste, which you could replace with plain no-chiles fermented bean paste and at least get some of the richness and smokiness back. It wouldn't be the same, but it might be good.
posted by nebulawindphone at 6:58 AM on January 17, 2019 [3 favorites]


I'm also a no-nightshades person; I use galangal for heat and bite. I've never tried making it into a paste (I buy it powdered), but I've found it to be a pretty decent replacement for the flavor typically carried by chilis/capsaicin.
posted by okayokayigive at 8:12 AM on January 17, 2019 [3 favorites]


black/white pepper and or ground mustard (you could play with brown/black seeds or just prepared yellow even for kick). would fermented black (soy) beans be an option for some salt/umami?
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 8:18 AM on January 17, 2019 [1 favorite]


Another option might be Long Pepper (Piper longum), as it is hotter than it's White/Black Peppercorn cousins (Piper nigrum). The Piper or Ginger families have a number of options that could add the heat you are looking for.

My concern with nebulawindphone's suggestion of pure capsaicin powder (besides the obvious need for utmost respect for the ingredient) is that if the non-nightshaade person is also sensitive to capsaicin, or is mistaking a capsaicin intolerance for a nightshade one (common enough), it could be worse on them.
posted by RhysPenbras at 8:21 AM on January 17, 2019 [2 favorites]


Ah, then I would recommend fried garlic, shallot (SE Asian preferred), preserved Tianjin cabbage mixed with preferred spices cooked together.
posted by jadepearl at 10:52 AM on January 17, 2019 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: So many great suggestions, thanks! Re: galangal, would I get that (in the US) at Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Asian markets? Wikipedia says the term refers to four different rhizomes:
Alpinia galanga, also called greater galangal, lengkuas or laos
Alpinia officinarum, or lesser galangal
Boesenbergia rotunda, also called Chinese ginger or fingerroot
Kaempferia galanga, also called kencur, black galangal or sand ginger

And to be clear, if anyone knows of a product along the lines of "OkayokayIgive's Non-Nightshade Spicy Juice," I'm not at all too proud to just buy something. I've also been looking at paprika and horseradish, and long pepper is a great idea I hadn't thought of.
posted by msalt at 11:16 AM on January 17, 2019


If you’re really committed, you could try making your own broad bean paste without chilis and use that. It’s the source of the umami/funky/savory notes in most Sichuanese cooking.

Recipe here for the traditional, pepper-containing kind.

There may also be some non-spicy varieties commercially available, but I can’t tell if they completely don’t contain chilis. Wikipedia.
posted by asphericalcow at 12:45 PM on January 17, 2019 [2 favorites]


TJ's doesn't have galangal, whole foods here often does but not always so call to check (I've no idea which of those four rhizomes though; they also call it "Thai ginger"). An Asian market may be your best chance.
posted by anadem at 1:45 PM on January 17, 2019 [1 favorite]


paprika

...is from a bell-pepper-style mild capiscum, so it's still a nightshade, sadly.
posted by nebulawindphone at 2:03 PM on January 17, 2019 [3 favorites]


Response by poster: Oh! Good catch.
posted by msalt at 2:59 PM on January 17, 2019


taking the Serious Eats sichuan peppercorn paste in a Khao Mun Gai/Hainanese Chicken Rice-Sauce direction could be very good--mince or pound together scallions, ginger, salt, and the sichuan peppercorns, then heat up peanut oil until smoking and pour over the ginger-scallion-sichuan peppercorn paste to cover. The heat of the oil partially cooks and softens the other ingredients, and enhances the flavor extraction into the oil.

You could also mix this chicken rice-eque sauce with a fermented umami-rich ingredient; skipping doubanjiang for its nightshade content, the miso (probabaly a red miso or South River chickpea miso would be most delicious) mentioned above, fermented black beans (douchi), or Korean doenjang will all do a bang-up job adding umami and complexity one expects to find in Ma La sauce.
posted by zingiberene at 7:02 PM on January 17, 2019 [2 favorites]


Paprika is made from capsicum peppers. Black pepper (piper nigrum) would work instead and has a nice heat itself. You can find recipes for Chinese style black pepper sauce that uses soy sauce and rice wine with black pepper. Freshly ground is going to be more potent than the pre-ground.

Mustard can also give a kick of heat. I would also recommend grinding your own whole mustard seeds. Typically mixed with water and/or vinegar and/or alcohol (like beer or wine).
posted by carrioncomfort at 6:34 AM on January 18, 2019 [1 favorite]


Like nebulawindphone said, DONT' use paprika!! It can further compound issues in the dried, powdered form. And double check ingredient lists for it. It appears in the weirdest places nowadays, ask us how we know. *cough chocolate cupcakes cough*

I just sent you a PM re: galangal, but for the room, we get ours from Penzeys.
posted by RhysPenbras at 6:55 AM on January 18, 2019 [1 favorite]


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