Hey guys, a few notes: 1. As Steph said in the outro, there’s a ton of salt & pepper mixes. For the Cantonese sort, sand ginger powder is an *incredibly* common addition. Common enough that we were mulling over adding that into the mix for this video as well, but we ended up deciding on keeping things basic/fundamental. 2. I’ve often disliked the translation ‘Sichuan peppercorn’, as (1) huajiao aren’t originally from Sichuan and (2) nor are they technically a peppercorn. Maybe we’ll rant about it in a video one day. 3. I’m a little worried that in the narration I wasn’t clear enough about the alkaline soak: add 1 tsp of sodium carbonate -or- kansui in with your ribs, and then submerge the ribs with tap water (both sodium carbonate and kansui are strong enough that the water quantity really doesn’t matter too much). If you do not have convenient access to sodium carbonate or kansui, you can bake baking soda at 150C for one hour to turn it into sodium carbonate (convenient to have around for Chinese cooking). 4. Some people over on the Patreon Discord gasped at the scratched up non-stick we were using to toast the spices haha. We’re still at our friend’s place in Bangkok, most of our kitchen is still packed in boxes. 5. For those curious about the ‘community sponsor’, I laid out our thinking in a recent community post (if you’re coming to this from the future, you might need to scroll down a bit to find the exact post): kzfaq.infocommunity Basically, we want to do free plugs for small businesses and such that we think are doing something cool: exporters, artists, etc etc. In the future though, I guess I should probably use different verbiage than “brought to you by”… That’s all I can think of for now. Might be a bit more touch and go than usual this week regarding responding to comments, as we’re (finally) moving into our new place and unpacking everything tomorrow.

Yoooo! Literally my favorite style of food anywhere, ever. When I was young (Southern California), we'd go visit my Chinese grandma every weekend and go to these traditional family style Chinese restaurants. My dad's family (my mom is Mexican) is Hainanese but Cantonese places are far more common. Every time we'd go, my dad would order us Green Beans and Pork, Whole Fried Tilapia, and then Salt Pepper Pork, SnP Fish Fillet, SnP Shrimp, SnP Tofu. It was always just an awesome Salt Pepper feast. Always an amazing treat. We'd even ask for a bit more of the SnP on the side. MSG in it or bust. I've been trying to perfect it on my own after all these years, especially since Salt Pepper dishes at restaurants have gone up quite a bit in price. I really appreciate your video. Anything that can help me perfect this amazing and simply satisfying style of food.

I spent so long trying to replicate the "spicy salt" flavor my local placed used for their ribs and squid. Just salt, white pepper, and msg (served with sliced jalapenos and spring onion) was the answer, it really is a spice mix that is more than the sum of its parts IMO.

I'm unreasonably happy that your dog is back.

Thanks for demystifying "salt & pepper" dishes. S&P shrimp and squid are my favorite Chinese dishes and I always order one or the other if on the menu, and in Cantonese restaurants here in California, they usually are. But I eat in non-Cantonese places too and the flavor and pepper strength can vary markedly. Now I know why.

Just made the mushrooms - this is the karaage substitute I've been looking for since I went plantbased! So tasty! Crunchy but juicy!

Thank you Chris & Steph. Your channel is a valuable resource for everything Asian cuisine.

Salt and pepper flounder is one of me and my husband's favorite things to eat at our once weekly Dim Sum visit. The waitresses sometime have a laugh at us that we "always order the same thing." Its just so good. Simple and indulgent. 😋

salt and pepper squid is one of my favorite

and this is why my personal rule of seasoning mixes is the best: if they don't clash, add them both in. just mix in both types of peppercorns and you're golden

I love salt and pepper anything. Chinatown in Chicago has some of the best s&p options. Salt and pepper smelts are everything!!

YUM! Craving salt and pepper mushrooms now! I just love using a mortar and pestle to crush spices. Thanks for an informative video, Chris and Steph!

If you want to make a cantonese-ish dish commonly served in Vietnamese restaurants in California, try to make "house special lobster" or ginger and scallion lobster. Would love to see a video.

Hello Steff and Chris, have been subscribe for 2 years and always love the recipes and especially the history of China and its food. I've been using white pepper corn and Himalayan salt for years, schewan are not easy to come by here on the prairies in Canada but my Asian store does have, usually i add individually but going to make up the mixtures and try. Thankyou Steff and Criss for all your insights and love of Asuab cuisine and its history, and a hug and woof to your puppy! Bryan from Canada.

I love this recipe and I love salt and pepper dishes! I like to roast the salt then add the pepper into it so as to coat the salt with those volatilized extracted oils.

One of my favorites from my days working in a Chinese restaurant in my home town. They have taken it "off the menu" but whenever I go home Mae always lights up and gives a huge smile when I order it.

I finally drove 2 hours last week to get to an Asian grocery store and bought your recommended “must have” ingredients. Looking forward to trying lots of new recipes from your videos.

Oooooh, sifting the Sichuan pepper powder after grinding is S.M.R.T. ... SMART! Should have thought of *that* trick before ... thanks!

Yessssssssss one of my absolute favourite things in the entire WORLD is Salt & Pepper Fried Squid so this in PERFECT.

I love these seemingly normal dishes, yet so different

Can you make a video focused around Chinese alcohols? Not only is getting good information about it hard in the west but it is also impossible to find good recommendations. Shopping for any type of Asian alcohol feels like swimming through a sea of western posers and it's so difficult to tell what's authentic.

I LOVED this. What a beautiful and simple seasoning.

I've never seen the mushroom variant before and I really want to try it because I love oyster mushrooms! Thanks!

Perfect timing. I'm trying to recreate a calamari dish I had once that was basically as you prepare it here with the addition of some sort of dark glaze/sauce. Didn't completely coat the dish and was likely out of a jar as this was a chain type restaurant but it worked so well with the pepper calamari...

Salt and pepper prawns, shell-on, are my favorite! The mushrooms look worth trying though. Thank you!

The silkroad specials market drawing! 😂🤣

I'm literally eating salt & pepper tofu now! Got the recipe from Lau's channel and it's AMAZING

I love you guys and just gushed about you to a table of people drunk at a bar this past weekend. Probably didn't do you justice, but I tried. Thanks for this vid -- cool to know where the distinct difference in taste from restaurant to restaurant might come from.

Great video! It really demystifies chinese cooking! You’re going to 1M!

The best pepper salt pork chops I've ever had put some kind of curry powder in with the flour, and the pork chops were marinated with ginger and basil and I don't know what else. Definitely a unique blend. Sadly I've only had it a few times and I guess the chef who made those pork chops moved on because I went back to that place and received a more typical style of pepper salt pork chops, which definitely aren't bad but are a definite step down from what I had before. The problem here is I don't know what the marinade is, and a great many curry powders that I've tried have been complete disappointments, with a totally different, almost medicinal, more anise-y taste. I don't know if anyone knows what I'm talking about. I wish I could replicate that recipe! Ps: Great video! You've answered a lot of questions already, although as I suspected the proper curry powder mixture still eludes me :p

Seeing some Thai-branded products on this channel makes me feel positively surprised somehow despite knowing that you are already here.

Thank you for this! We loosely call this pigeon salt here in Manila when asking for it when dining in a Chinese restaurant

What determines whether we blanch or alkaline soak an ingredient? Is it blanching for veggies and alkaline soak for meat?

Keep up the great work love your channel!

Oh, it's so famous in indonesia also! Mushroom, tofu, all with garlicky salt & pepper + bird's eye chili. 💜

omg thank you for this video! I LOVE salt and pepper XYZ, and I always love your recipes! This is going into my recipe playlist even before I am watching the video!!

This salt and pepper seasoning is incredibly popular in the UK. A popular dish is salt and pepper chips, with salt and pepper fried chicken pieces, and a chinese curry sauce for dipping. Yum!

My partner and I just found and cooked our first chicken of the woods mushroom in the Catskills today. This seems like such a good application for that mushroom.... next time!

Interesting video! Never heard of salt&pepper dishes before - looking forward to trying the mushrooms! Great video~

Hey man, I noticed you salt bag. Welcome to Thailand!!!! Im a chef here in Bkk. I learned a lots of new Chinese cooking techniques from your channel. 🎉big fan!!!!

This is brilliant

I'm fine with this kind of advertising. It doesn't affect the content, isn't included in the production (like especially using and simultaneously advertising products) and doesnt force you to change the content. I hope you maintain that while having a growing channel. Growing channel tend to really commercialize their content more and more until it gets unwatchable for those who followed them from the beginning. So i hope you stay the way you are :) Cheers from Europe

i absolutely lost it at “sichuan peppercorns of the steppe barbarians” 🤣

Nice, thanks for the veg/vegan option! As a vegan, who likes chinese food, i always search for authentic meatless dishes.

Thanks for making this video! Can either of these seasonings be used interchangeably (with a different flavour profile of course), or do they compliment particular ingredients?

Salt & Pepper Squid is DA BESSSST!

Went to go get the ingredients for this today to try and I realized that pork ribs are attached to pork belly (cuz of course duhhh). Bought the whole chunk of meat and ended up making this plus Made with Lau's Crispy pork (to be fried tomorrow). Thanks for constantly giving great recipes to try :)

I've just seen Chin and Choo (Ziang's Food Workshop) go nuts with this on their internet shorts, people daring him to make things such as: - Salt and pepper spring rolls. - Salt and pepper siu-mai. - Salt and pepper deep-fried mars bar. For the Lulz :)

My top two fav take out orders are chicken curry and salt and pepper shrimp. BUSSIN😫

Can't wait to slot this into dinner this week.

Hopefully you guys are well and settled in your new home

My favorite kind are salt and pepper chicken wings covered with oil flavored with green onions, crushed red peppers, and garlic, and the... salt and pepper seasoning on top!

It looks delicious!

Really curious now if this is the origin of spice bags in Irish Chinese takeaway restaurants or if there is another more traditional chinese dish that's a closer link between the two.

oh man have to make the ribs, one of my favorites is chicken wings. Cheers!

I've been waiting for this episode 😍😋😋

I feel like this would be an awesome chip flavor, like salt and pepper plantain chips, anyone?

I have to source good quality Shichuan peppercorns. Wish me luck. 🤞

i always wondered wht you never did this wooohoooooo......fabulous

.. Cheers to you.

When I think cantonese "jiu yeem" dishes, I usually associate it with minced garlic and green+chili peppers also.

Excellent video. Cheers!

Thank you as always for your recipes, history, and insight. Is this your new cook space? It looks really nice from the camera angle. Hopefully it has a lovely view too!?

Shengong golden noodles is a Chinese instant noodle soup that I see all over Tiktok would like to see if you guys can do a video on the best Chinese instant noodle soup that you guy’s like to eat . Thank you 😊

Tks

I grew up with salt and chili pepper seasoning lol

Congratulations on your sponsor!

Hayek is back!!!

I was literally gonna make s&wp wings tomorrow good timing

The dog licking 😂

Good stuff!

非常好的工作

Where do you pour out your oil to?

Which type of salt do most Cantonese recipes use? I mean there is sea salt, table salt, rock salt, himalayan pink salt.

i was introduced to the salt and pepper flavor in a chicken dish. while it was clearly a dry stir fry, there was a very present sweet flavor to the dish as well. is sugar a common additive, or was this some strange americanized combo that isnt typical of other chinese salt and pepper dishes?

Thanks for this amazing recipe! How much different is the western version of “salt and chilli”?

Random question: Have you ever tried to make a salt & pepper mix with ground dried chili pepper (hai jiao)? Thanks for the great content.

Salt pepper white fish is so good in water boiled broth.

A popular British Chinese takeaway dish is Salt and Pepper Chips (fries)!

1:36 海椒 (hǎijiāo) nowadays is a "chili" term in Sichuan. 海 (hǎi) in here doesn't mean "ocean", but it means "foreign". It is similar to 洋 (yáng) that means either "ocean" or "foreign" such as "洋蔥(yángcōng)" : onions which in direct translation of "foreign scallions". Recently, people tend to say "辣椒 (làjiāo) because there come from "heat" of chilies. So, that's my explanation......

I'm like 90% sure the Cantonese version originally includes some medicinal herbs and dried seafood (dried squid and small shrimps?) Or maybe I'm thinking about something more common for those higher end restaurants...

Poking around a score of S&P recipes in English on the web, I find lots with white pepper, a few with Sichuan pepper, five spice powder, or black pepper, and some combinations of spices but no mention anywhere of sand ginger powder as a second spice. I'm sure I can source sand ginger powder, but what proportion of sand ginger is typically used so I don't ruin an otherwise good batch of S&P anything? My guess in Steph is finding references to sand ginger in Chinese language sources.

How about salt & pepper chicken. Would you be able to do this on a air fryer? Would deep fried lead to. better taste?

Weird KZfaq recommended but good video

Personally, for what reason do u not add the chili and garlic with the oyster mushroom version?

Thanks so much for this! For Tofu, what kind of Tofu do you recommend? And does it need a blanching as well?

So, standard black pepper isn't an option for these dishes?

What is a good Chinese clever

is there an alternative to MSG. I want to make an organic version of this

huh, bagged cooking oil? bagging liquids isn't too unusual to me (i grew up with bagged milk), but bagging cooking oil is new and interesting

Those ribs, are they basically just spare ribs cut into smaller chunks? I've had them before at Chinese places, delicious!

Is Richard Dreyfus the narrator?

hell yea

How did they get Richard Dreyfus to narrate this?

I saw the Thai brand of sea salt!

I always thought this was a British-Chinese thing. there's quite a lot of things in mainly Chinese, Indian, Mexican and Italian restaraunts across the world that are so much a mixture between the place they are representing and the place they are that the actual food would be unrecognisable in the place they are supposedly from. for example what Americans think Italian food is, or how British-Indian food is so distinct from British or Indian food its essentially a whole new cuisine. I figured Salt & Pepper was a mix of classic Chinese cooking practices from old immigrants mixed with our British deep-frying traditions but I guess I was very wrong. It makes sense it's so ingrained in every chinese restaraunt here though as most Chinese people here seem to be Cantonese that come over in the 80s or 90s from Hong-Kong before we handed it over to Communist China Any wierd things your country thinks is from somewhere else but is actually purely local?

海椒, is that what they call chilies down in Guangdong? I learn something new every day! I've only ever heard 辣椒。

what happens if i mix white, black and sichuan peppercorns together?

I have to ask: are there any variations of this seasoning that use both white peppercorns and fagara/Sichuan peppercorns? Would that combo even work well?

In England this stuff is revered .