By Tatiana Pietrzak Traditional Kung Pao Chicken uses Sichuan peppercorns. This gives off a “ma” sensation or numbing effect on the tongue and mouth. This was not used in the American version of Kung Pao Chicken because Sichuan peppercorns were banned by the US Food and Drug Administration until 2005. The peppercorns could carry citrus …
Sichuan Pork in Chili Broth
One of my all-time favorite dishes is Shui Zhu Rou Pian (shway joo row pyan – this is my own Romanization! Pinyin, the standardized Romanization for Chinese, is based on the Russian pronunciation of words because Russia and China were so close politically.) Literally Shui Zhu Rou Pian means water boiled meat slices, also known …
Pu erh Tea
By Tatiana Pietrzak Pu erh tea originated in Yunnan province in the southwest region of China some 4700 years ago. This is the region where it is thought that tea originated. Yunan borders on the countries of Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar (Burma). The area is known to be tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests. Thousands …