The market · Spices · East Asia, Southeast Asia, Northern and Central Europe
White pepper
Ripe peppercorns with the skin soaked off — sharper heat, less perfume, and a musty edge some love.
pungent · earthy · musty
What to do with it
JavaneseLumpia SemarangSpring rolls filled with bamboo shoot, egg and prawn, fried or left soft, with a thick sweet garlic sauce and whole spring onion.No one here has made it yetMinahasanBrenebonA thick soup of red kidney beans with pork, nutmeg and clove, a Minahasan descendant of Dutch brown-bean soup.No one here has made it yet
CantoneseCongeeRice simmered in plenty of water until the grains break down into a smooth, silky porridge, with something savoury stirred in.No one here has made it yet
CantoneseWonton noodle soupThin, springy egg noodles and prawn wontons in a clear broth, finished with a few chives.No one here has made it yetCantoneseSiu maiOpen-topped dumplings of pork and prawn in a thin yellow wrapper, steamed, and often dotted on top with fish roe or a little carrot.No one here has made it yetCantonesePork chop bunA marinated pork chop, beaten thin and fried, pressed into a crusty split roll — Macau's favourite snack.No one here has made it yetTeochewTeochew fish ballsWhite, bouncy balls of fish paste beaten by hand, cooked in simmering water and served in clear soup or with noodles.No one here has made it yetShandongNine-turn intestinesShort lengths of pork intestine, cleaned, blanched, fried and then braised down in sugar, vinegar and soy until glossy — sweet, sour, salty, peppery and faintly bitter at once.No one here has made it yetHuaiyangYangzhou fried riceDay-old rice fried with egg, prawns, ham, peas and spring onion — each grain separate and coated.No one here has made it yetFujianOyster omeletteSmall oysters fried in a sweet potato starch batter with eggs — crisp in places, soft and gooey in others.No one here has made it yet
Nordic and Baltic ryeGravlaxRaw salmon cured for a few days under salt, sugar and dill, sliced thin and served with a sweet mustard sauce.No one here has made it yetNordic and Baltic ryeKöttbullarSmall meatballs of beef and pork with onion and milk-soaked breadcrumbs, browned in butter and served with cream sauce, lingonberries and potatoes.No one here has made it yet
CantoneseCongeeRice simmered in plenty of water until the grains break down into a smooth, silky porridge, with something savoury stirred in.No one here has made it yetCantoneseWonton noodle soupThin, springy egg noodles and prawn wontons in a clear broth, finished with a few chives.No one here has made it yetCantoneseSiu maiOpen-topped dumplings of pork and prawn in a thin yellow wrapper, steamed, and often dotted on top with fish roe or a little carrot.No one here has made it yetCantonesePork chop bunA marinated pork chop, beaten thin and fried, pressed into a crusty split roll — Macau's favourite snack.No one here has made it yetTeochewTeochew fish ballsWhite, bouncy balls of fish paste beaten by hand, cooked in simmering water and served in clear soup or with noodles.No one here has made it yetShandongNine-turn intestinesShort lengths of pork intestine, cleaned, blanched, fried and then braised down in sugar, vinegar and soy until glossy — sweet, sour, salty, peppery and faintly bitter at once.No one here has made it yetHuaiyangYangzhou fried riceDay-old rice fried with egg, prawns, ham, peas and spring onion — each grain separate and coated.No one here has made it yetFujianOyster omeletteSmall oysters fried in a sweet potato starch batter with eggs — crisp in places, soft and gooey in others.No one here has made it yetNordic and Baltic ryeGravlaxRaw salmon cured for a few days under salt, sugar and dill, sliced thin and served with a sweet mustard sauce.No one here has made it yetNordic and Baltic ryeKöttbullarSmall meatballs of beef and pork with onion and milk-soaked breadcrumbs, browned in butter and served with cream sauce, lingonberries and potatoes.No one here has made it yetGoes with
Cooked with, here
–8 hours ahead marinate the fishbuttercaperchopped parsleyflaky saltgolden raisingranny smith applehour ahead soak raisin
How much, here
Knowing it
- Where to buy
- Chinese and Southeast Asian grocers.
- Worth knowing
- The pepper for hot and sour soup, congee and pale sauces where black specks would show.
Kitchens that keep it in
Guangdong and Hong Kong, southern ChinaCantoneseThe cooking of Guangzhou and Hong Kong: very fresh things cooked briefly and seasoned lightly, so they taste of themselves.11 classicsJiangsu province and the lower Yangtze, eastern ChinaHuaiyangDelicate and exact: fine knife work, clear stocks and a gentle sweetness, cooked to bring out an ingredient's own flavour rather than to cover it.7 classics