Saturday, October 15, 2011

Peppercornpalooza!

Something happened this week at True Thai that has never happened before. We put a new dish, Young Peppercorn Stir Fry, into the buffet. We had to refill that pan twelve times before the lunch crowd left. Twelve times? I do not know what the old record was, but I am sure it was in the single digits. Wow. You really like young peppercorns!

Here is the description we put on the "new items" menu insert:
Basil, young green peppercorns, hot peppers and bamboo shoots come together in a truly Thai stir-fry dish. Excellent when served very spicy, intriguing at any temperature. Served on the stem, you can eat these peppercorns with your fingers, or you can use your fork to blend the peppercorns directly into the stir fry. Either way it's a peppery new twist on a classic Thai stir fry dish.

Peppercorns come on the stem. The technical word for a "bunch" of peppercorns is drupe. Green peppercorns are immature black peppercorns, just like the ones you grind to get black pepper. Wikipedia describes their flavor as "piquant and fresh," which is a fancy way of saying that they taste peppery. Not peppery in a spicy jalapeño way, but peppery in an explosive black pepper way.

What happens when you mix spicy peppers with peppercorns? According to True Thai's lunch customers, the correct answer is that you make an extra trip back to the buffet for some more.