This surprising pasta dish features bright lemon, fragrant miso, and creamy crème fraîche. But the real star is the tingly Sichuan peppercorns. Sichuan peppercorns create a unique numbing and tingling sensation due to a compound called hydroxy-alpha-sanshool. This compound interacts with our nerve endings, triggering a phenomenon known as chemesthesis, which is responsible for the distinctive sensation. To get even flavor distribution and a pronounced (but not overwhelming) level of that buzzing sensation, we toast and grind 4 teaspoons of Sichuan peppercorns and incorporate them in two ways: gently heated in some oil to release their flavorful compounds and form the base of the creamy sauce, and stirred into the pasta right before serving.
Get my recipe at America’s Test Kitchen.
