Here’s the first of a trio from Fu Chung – a spicy Sichuan variety with vinegar. No doubt this includes Sichuan pepper. Now, it’s not like a fleshy chili pepper – it’s a peppercorn. Here’s a little about Sichuan pepper flavor from Wikipedia –

Sichuan pepper’s unique aroma and flavour is not hot or pungent like black, white, or chili peppers. Instead, it has slight lemony overtones and creates a tingly numbness in the mouth (caused by its 3% of hydroxy alpha sanshool) that sets the stage for hot spices. According to Harold McGee in On Food and Cooking, they are not simply pungent; “they produce a strange, tingling, buzzing, numbing sensation that is something like the effect of carbonated drinks or of a mild electric current (touching the terminals of a nine-volt battery to the tongue). Sanshools appear to act on several different kinds of nerve endings at once, induce sensitivity to touch and cold in nerves that are ordinarily nonsensitive, and so perhaps cause a kind of general neurological confusion.”

I think this is a very apt description of what Sichuan pepper is like. Let’s give this a try!

Fu Chung Village Dry Noodles With Sauce – Spicy Sichuan Pepper With Vinegar – Taiwan

Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add noodle block to a large pot of boiling water. After one minute, separate noodles gently. Continue cooking 5~6 minutes. Drain. Add wet sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!

One of the four included packages.

The noodle block.

The first of two wet sachets.

A dark liquid.

The second of two wet sachets.

A seasoned oil with a Sichuan peppery scent.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added Fu Chung Minced Pork & Scallion Sauce, scallions, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, and soft egg. The noodles are just great – flat, broad, just right. An apt balance in the flavor as well – not overuse of anything – works very well. 4.5 out of 5.0 stars. As for the sauce, I’m really happy with that – meaty and savory – if I were to score it I’d give it a 5.0 out of 5.0 stars.  EAN bar code 6710887929894.

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Watch me make this on Instant Noodle Recipe Time!