Sichuan Doubanjiang and Ma La Principle
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Origin
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Description
Doubanjiang — fermented broad bean and chilli paste, the defining ingredient of Sichuan cooking — provides the simultaneous flavour of salt, umami (from the fermented beans), and heat (from the chilli) in a single ingredient. The Pixian doubanjiang (from Pixian county outside Chengdu) — aged 3+ years — is the benchmark. The ma la (numbing-hot) principle that defines Sichuan cooking combines Sichuan peppercorn (ma — numbing, from the hydroxy-alpha-sanshool compound that activates and then inhibits mechanoreceptors) with dried chilli (la — hot, from capsaicin).
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The Thread
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Flavour Context
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Pillars V — VII
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