Louis Kuo, the founder of Dragon Hot Pot, likes to fully commit to his restaurants. That means travelling to the mountains of Hanyuan, in China, to pick the right type of Sichuan pepper for his broth.
The bright red peppercorn he chose is grown high up in the mountains of the Sichuan countryside, which gives it a flagrant intensity. “The Sichuan pepper is so good there because of the high altitude, the climate and because there’s no pollution,” explains Kuo.
“Sichuan pepper always brings this numbness to your tongue and your mouth, but when you try this one, the numbness is pretty smooth and the aftertaste and aroma are very different.”
