Chinese Spiced Salt (Jiao Yan)
A fragrant, lightly numbing dry-toasted salt made with Sichuan peppercorns, five-spice and white pepper. Sprinkle it on fried foods, roasted meats, eggs and vegetables for instant savory depth.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 6 min
- Wait
- 15 min
- Total
- 26 min
- Makes
- About ½ cup (140 g), enough for 24 servings of 1 teaspoon each
Steps
Before you start
- Use a heavy dry skillet, not nonstick, so you can toast over steady heat without damaging the coating.
- Measure everything before you start. Toasting moves fast and the salt can scorch if you leave it.
- Use fine or medium-grain sea salt. Coarse flakes will not blend evenly with the ground spices.
- Open a window or turn on the vent fan. Toasting pepper releases strong fumes.
Toast the salt
- Place a dry 10-inch (25 cm) skillet over medium-low heat for 1 minute.
- Add the sea salt and stir constantly with a wooden spoon for 3 to 4 minutes.
- The salt will warm through and look slightly drier and more opaque.
- Tip it onto a plate to cool.
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Ready when: Salt is hot to the touch, looks dry and free-flowing, and just begins to turn faintly off-white.
Tip: Do not use high heat. Salt does not burn, but it can pop and spit.
Wipe the skillet
- Carefully wipe out any loose salt from the skillet with a paper towel and let the pan cool for about 1 minute so it is warm, not smoking, before toasting the spices.
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Ready when: The pan is warm but not smoking.
Toast the peppercorns
- Return the pan to medium-low heat.
- Add the Sichuan and white peppercorns in a single layer.
- Toast for 2 to 3 minutes, shaking the pan every 20 seconds or so.
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Ready when: The peppercorns smell citrusy and floral, darken slightly and a faint wisp of fragrant smoke rises.
Tip: If they smell acrid or look black, they are burnt and will taste bitter. Start over.
Cool the spices
- Tip the peppercorns onto a small plate in a single layer.
- Let them cool completely, about 10 minutes, so they grind to a dry powder instead of a gummy paste.
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Ready when: Peppercorns are completely cool to the touch and brittle.
Grind the peppercorns
- Grind the cooled peppercorns in a spice grinder in short pulses for 15 to 20 seconds, or crush in a mortar, until they look like coarse sand.
- Sift through a fine-mesh sieve and discard the hard husks left behind.
- Regrind any large pieces if you like.
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Ready when: Powder is fine and uniform, with only a few tough husks left in the sieve.
Tip: Sichuan husks are gritty. Sifting gives a smoother, more pleasant blend.
Mix the blend
- In a bowl, combine the cooled toasted salt, the sifted pepper powder and the five-spice powder.
- Stir and rub with the back of a spoon for 1 minute until the color is an even light tan with no streaks.
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Ready when: The mixture is evenly speckled and uniformly tan.
Tip: Taste a pinch on your fingertip. Add up to ½ teaspoon more salt if you want a less spicy blend.
Rest and jar
- Transfer to an 8 oz (250 ml) jar and seal.
- Let it rest for 5 minutes so the flavors mingle, then shake well before the first use.
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Ready when: The blend smells warm, floral and peppery.
Good to know
Tips
- Toast the salt and spices separately because they need different amounts of time to reach their best flavor.
- Use about ¼ to ½ teaspoon per serving as a finishing salt, since it is quite salty and tingly.
- Classic uses include a dip for fried chicken, shrimp or tofu, a seasoning for roasted potatoes, and a sprinkle for fried eggs.
- Always cool the ingredients fully before jarring to prevent clumping.
Make ahead
"Make up to 1 month ahead. The flavor is best in the first 2 weeks and mellows gradually."
Storage & reheating
"Room temperature in an airtight jar away from heat and light for up to 3 months. Refrigeration is unnecessary and can cause clumping from condensation. Do not freeze. If it clumps, shake or crush it, or warm it in a dry skillet for 1 minute over low heat."
Substitutions
- fine sea salt → kosher salt, finely ground. Use 1 cup (about 240 g) of Diamond Crystal only if ground fine. Otherwise grind it in a spice grinder first and weigh to 140 g.
- whole Sichuan peppercorns → pink peppercorns plus a pinch of lemon zest. You will lose the signature numbing effect but keep a citrusy, floral note.
- whole white peppercorns → black peppercorns. Gives a slightly fruitier, less earthy heat.
- Chinese five-spice powder → ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground fennel, ¼ teaspoon ground star anise and a pinch of ground cloves. Approximates the homemade blend. Use about 1 teaspoon of the mix.