Steamed Cod with wild peppercorn

This recipe originally from: https://onestove.wordpress.com/2018/04/02/steamed-cod-with-wild-peppercorn/

Taiwan has a lot of beautiful scenic places with poetic names. One place which I visited recently is Xiangtian (“Facing the Sky”) Lake in Nanzhuang, Maoli County. While we were waiting for the bus, we spied several small shacks next to the bus stop selling “Maqaw Eggs”.  What in the world are Maqaw eggs?  It turns out Maqaw  马 告 (pinyin “Ma Gao”) is a kind of wild peppercorn that is famous in Miaoli’s aboriginal cuisine. Its scientific name is Litsea Cubeba, a plant native to Taiwan, China and Indonesia. Its fruit produces a lemony essential oil which is used in soaps and its seeds are used in cooking. The stall was selling hard boiled Chinese tea eggs specially flavored with Maqaw so we naturally had to try them (they were delicious!) as well as Maqaw peppercorn seeds. The proprietor convinced me that they are very expensive in New York specialty stores but it’s a good price at Xiangtian Lake because they are locally grown. Not one to pass up a deal, I naturally had to buy a bottle of the fragrant wild peppercorn. It is supposed to be great for tea eggs as well as pork and fish dishes. So tonight I sprinkled some Maqaw peppercorn seeds on my cod fish and they certainly added a lovely citrony flavor to the dish.

1 piece cod fish

1 tbsp black bean and garlic sauce (Lee Kum Kee brand)

1/2 tbsp hoisin sauce (Lee Kum Kee brand)

1/2 tbsp XO sauce

1 tbsp Maqaw peppercorn seeds

1. Rinse the cod fish under running water.  Pat dry. Place it on a dish, add all the ingredients on top of the fish. Steam for 10 mins or until cooked.

2. Sprinkle spring onions on top for garnish. Serve hot with steamed rice.

This is one of two recipes that include: maqaw pepper