Peppercorn, chiefly white

The dried berry of the pepper vine; Cantonese soup work uses mainly white peppercorns, the ripe berry retted and husked, sold whole. Toasted in a dry wok and crushed, they give pig's-stomach soup its signature clean, penetrating heat.

TCM properties

Nature · hot　Flavour · pungent　Meridians · stomach、large intestine

Traditional food therapy

In Cantonese food therapy toasted, crushed white peppercorns are simmered with pig's stomach to warm the middle, scatter cold and rouse the appetite on cold days.

Cautions — read first

• Not for yin deficiency with rising fire, or for people who run dry and hot
• People with a heat illness or with haemorrhoids should eat little of it
• Pregnant women should keep it moderate

Preparation

Toast the white peppercorns in a dry wok (白鑊, no oil) until fragrant, then crack them. The aroma comes out far better, and this is the trick behind 胡椒豬肚湯.

Origin

海南（中國白胡椒主產地；全球供應以越南、印尼為大宗） — supermarket spice-aisle staple in AU; global trade is led by Vietnamese and Indonesian pepper

Availability in Australia

Common at Asian grocers

Pairs well with