Black pepper
Unripe pepper berries dried with the skin on, pungent and fruity: the same vine as the white peppercorn of the soup pot (see the 胡椒 record), a different grade. The café's black pepper sauce (sizzling black pepper beef, black pepper chicken) wants coarsely ground pepper, a tablespoon fried in butter and then built up with oyster sauce, light soy, sugar and stock; a pinch goes into the borscht. Every Australian supermarket spice rack has whole, cracked and fine; freshly ground is best, and Asian and Indian grocers sell big bags far cheaper.
Preparation
Grind whole berries fresh or buy cracked; fry in butter before the sauce goes in.
Origin
The Malabar coast, south-west India. On every supermarket spice rack; big bags cheaply at Asian and Indian grocers.
Availability in Australia
Easy to find
Where · Every supermarket spice rack; big bags at Asian and Indian grocers
What to ask for · For black pepper sauce buy cracked, or grind whole
