Sichuan Sauce

"Sichuan" sauce, also spelled "schezwan" in India by some, and "szechwan" in English by some, is a spicy hot chili pepper sauce used as a condiment added to prepared foods, or used as a dip for some foods, or used in recipes to add flavor and heat. The use of 35 to 40 chilies makes a relatively modest amount, which you can store in a jar or covered bowl in your refrigerator for a week or two. If you want to reduce the heat, you can remove the seeds from the chilies, or at least from some of the chilies, but this sauce is supposed to be spicy hot. Also, the amount of oil is high, but this helps to preserve the sauce. While the basis of Sichuan sauce is from China, it is not uncommon in parts of India, or in other areas of the world where its spicy heat is enjoyed by those who long to test their own endurance versus spicy dishes. As such, there are quite a number of recipe variations, and my recipe here is somewhat influenced by Indian versions. 

Ingredients:

35 to 40 dried red chilies (like cayenne or arbol chilies), stems removed

water to cover the chilies, then reserve the water used for soaking/cooking

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 inch piece of ginger peeled and minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon soy sauce

1/3 teaspoon sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons white vingar

2 tablespoons thick tomato ketchup 

  

Put the chilies into a pan and cover them with water. Soak the chilies for 1/2 hour, do not drain. Now put the pan/skillet over medium heat until the water boils, and boil the chilies for about 3 to 4 minutes, then cover the pan/skillet and adjust the heat to maintain a steady simmer. Let the chilies simmer until they are softened and flexible (about 6 to 8 minutes), remove from the heat and let the chilies stand until cooled. Only some of the water should remain, reserve this water to use in a few moments (most of the water should have been absorbed or have evaporated). Put the cooked chilies (not the water) into a food processor or blender and process until no large pieces of pepper are visible. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat, then add the garlic and ginger; saute for a minute or two, but do not let the garlic and ginger brown. Add the processed chilies to the skillet and saute a further 2 minutes, stirring often, then add a tablespoon of the reserved "chili water," stir well, let cook for 1 minute, then add another tablespoon of the water, and stir well again. Cover the skillet and reduce the heat to very low. Let cook for about 4 to 5 minutes (during this time check to make sure it is not sticking; stir it a little occasionally). Add the salt, soy sauce, sugar, white vinegar and ketchup and then mix well and cook for another 2 minutes. Best if left to cool a bit before using.     

WORD HISTORY:

Bleat-This word, meaning "the sound made by sheep and goats," is distantly related to "feeble," a Latin-derived word, borrowed by English via French, and it is somewhat more closely related to "bellow" (deep sound made by certain animals, later used for people), a word from the Germanic roots of English.^ It goes back to Indo European "blhe," which had the notion, "to make sound," likely derived by our ancient ancestors in imitation of certain sounds initially. This gave Old Germanic "bletjanan," meaning, "to bleat, to make sound (for some animals)."^^ This gave Old English "blætan" (to bleat), which then became "bleten," before the modern form. The noun form in Old English was "blæt," which of course later also became "bleat," the noun. There are relatives in other Indo European languages with forms of the word, and in Latin the word developed the meaning "to weep or to cry,"^^^ which is hardly a startling development. German once had "blazen," and Dutch still has "blaten" (to bleat).  

^ While very similar, "bellows," the noun meaning, "a device used to force out air," is not related, as it is from a different source and its rendering with the plural ending "s" seems to have come from the device having two handles that were pushed together to expel the air, thus conveying a sense of two separate parts, thus, plural. 

 

^^ See "Etymological Dictionary of Proto Germanic," by Guus Kroonen, published 2013.  Part of the "Leiden Indo European Etymological Series," edited by Alexander Lubotsky, published by Brill (Publishing), Leiden, The Netherlands, Boston, U.S.

^^^ The Latin verb is "flere," meaning "to weep," with the extended meaning, "to grieve." The Indo European "b" beginning became "f" in Latin. 

Kung Pao Shrimp, WOW!

This common dish, which originated in the Szechuan/Sichuan province of China, has some variations, with the biggest variation being in the main ingredient, which is usually chicken. I'm not quite certain, but the use of shrimp "may" be a development by Chinese-Americans in the restaurant business?  

Ingredients:

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh ginger
1/2 cup green pepper, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 cup red bell pepper, cut into bite size pieces
5 dried red chilies, stems removed
1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns 
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional, the sauce, below, will have soy sauce, which has salt)
2 to 3 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons roughly chopped cashews or peanuts
4 green onions, chopped, including part of the green

Sauce:
4 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons orange juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch + 3 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar

In a small sauce pan, over medium heat, add the soy sauce, orange juice, sesame oil, rice vinegar, sugar; simmer about 1 minute. Mix the water and cornstarch well, then gradually stir it into the sauce, maintaining the heat so that the sauce bubbles, until the sauce thickens, set aside. If you have a wok, put on the Aerosmith song, "Wok This Way" (okay, I know it's "Walk this Way"); otherwise, use a skillet, heat the canola oil over medium high heat. Add the ginger, the chilies and the peppercorns, cook for about 30 seconds, constantly stirring (stir fry). Add the two types of bell pepper and two of the chopped green onions, cook 1 minute, always stirring. Add the shrimp, cook until about cooked through, then stir in the sauce and cashews/peanuts, taking care to distribute and coat and all of the shrimp. Don't overcook the shrimp, or they will get tough, even rubbery. Serve with the other 2 chopped green onions on top. 

WORD HISTORY:
Cashew-This word for a popular type of nut goes back to Tupi ^ "akaju," the name for the tree producing cashews. The Portuguese picked up the word, as "acaju" (modern Portuguese "caju"), as they explored and settled in Brazil during the 1500s, with the tree name also transferring to the nut. English borrowed the word, circa 1600, without the seemingly unstressed beginning "a," but the word came into more general usage about a hundred years later.   

^ Tupi is a family of South American Indian languages, many located in central and western Brazil and Bolivia, but also in some parts of a few other countries, as well.