Ingredient Spotlight: Green Peppercorns in Brine

Here's a pungent ingredient we recently picked up from a Thai market. Have you ever cooked with it?

This is a sprig of green peppercorns preserved in salt and vinegar. Green peppercorns are the unripe berries of the pepper plant; when dried and oxidized, they turn into the more familiar black peppercorns. Green peppercorns are quite perishable, so they are usually freeze-dried or, like these, packed in brine.

They taste fresher and milder than black peppercorns but still pack some heat and a slight tartness from the brine. In Thailand, they are used in curries and stir-fries. We have also seen them used in Indian cuisine and French sauces. We threw some into a vegetable stir-fry but are interested in discovering more ways to use them. Any suggestions?

Some recipes from around the Web:
• Avocado Soup with Green Peppercorns, from RecipeSource
• Meatballs With Green-Peppercorn Sauce, from Simply Recipes
• Sherried Turkey Cutlets with Green Peppercorns, from Gourmet
• Thai green curry with green peppercorns, from Cuisine.com.au

Fresh, green peppercorn vines are not common, but if you have access to them, you can also make your own pickles:
• Green Peppercorn Pickled in Brine, from My Diverse Kitchen

(Image: Emily Ho)

Comments (3)

This is the secret ingredient in my beef pies. It gives a really nice kick to the sauce.

I use them a lot in Thai cooking, and a small bit in other things. They are the original Thai spice for heat, as chilis came along much later (in the 16th century). They do have quite a kick.

Green peppercorns in brine is actually a very common type of pickle in India, especially in the South, where they grow. Very yum, I envy you. I've never seen anyone actually cook with them, they're just eaten on the side as sort of a relish, along with wet rice dishes (like sambar rice) or flatbreads. Try it the next time you have Indian food!