Where are they hiding the sichuan "mala" peppers?

[Petex]

Hi, I have recently decided I want to try cooking some of my own sichuan dishes since i love the food and saw that it wasn't too hard to make from a recent tvb program.

So i've been casually looking for those roundish sichuan peppers that make your tongue go numb and have had no luck whatsoever at the grocery stores and at some spice shops. They use the peppers in lazi chicken and gong bao chicken lots of times. anyone know where i can find some?
Thanks in advance!!!!!
-P

[pushan]

Hi Petex,

You can find some with me

We went on a Sichuan trip few months bag (pre-quake) and got ourselves two huge bags of the pepper...ha ha

But seriously, look at the chinese products stores in the wet market.

Since you know the name - ma la - it should not be too much of a trouble. If I locate a store I will let you know.

[jayinhongkong]

They are known as fa jiu, or flower pepper, in Cantonese. You can get them at the dry goods stores around wet markets. I actually found Szechuan peppercorn oil at Wellcome in the Westwood (Kennedy Town) and that's what I've been using for my tongue-numbing fix.

[self]

In my local park'n'shop they hide them in the herb and spice section in the small jars.

[jayinhongkong]

Where do you live self? They don't have 'em at my local P'n'S.

[self]

Diamond Hill, which I guess has a largish PnS.

[jayinhongkong]

Diamond Hill, which I guess has a largish PnS.

Oh ok! The availability of products also varies by area. Since I live in a gweilo area, we tend to get more American/British stuff here than people who live in more local areas do. I still need to pick up some Szechuan peppercorns myself.

[Petex]

thanks guys! will check out the wet market near times square. hopefully they havem! checked out city super, the patterson welcome, and some other random shops but they didn't have them. i guess worst case scenario i can always venture....*gulp*...outside hong kong island to find them too

[pushan]

thanks guys! will check out the wet market near times square. hopefully they havem! checked out city super, the patterson welcome, and some other random shops but they didn't have them. i guess worst case scenario i can always venture....*gulp*...outside hong kong island to find them too

good luck with your search...let us know if you find any.

BTW, where do you stay ?

If you are truly desparate, lemme know, I can get some from China for you.

[Petex]

Thanks, Pushan. that's really nice of you to offer i figure with you guys giving me tips on where it is, i should get off my lazy ass to find it rather than having someone get them all the way from china for me. haha. i live in cwb btw.

I did make it to the times square area wet market. after searching many shops, one vegetable stand did have some. however it looked like no one bought them in a long long time. they were a bit hidden away in the corner of the store in a small yellowed plastic bag with small holes that looked like they had been bitten away by mice or something. oh well, i bought them anyways just in case figuring i'd just wash them before using them. wish me luck that i don't poison myself! i guess if i can find them elsewhere, i'll try to buy me some "cleaner" ones.