hello! i got you a little something to keep you toasty the rest of this winter: not one, but two hot chocolates!!
you’re gonna have to trust me on this, ok? (do i say that a lot?) it was years ago that i came up with this sichuan hot chocolate. the idea of a scorching hot spoonful of sichaun-chili-flake paste swimming in a piping hot mug of milky chocolate warmed me inside and out without having even ever tried it. but at the same time, i was pretty confident the recipe wouldn’t come out well.
despite reservations, i persisted, throwing together a mug of this hot chocolate 10 minutes before i was supposed to leave for a doctor’s appointment, leaving almost no time to actually drink it but certain that anyone in their right mind would take one sip and full-on defenestrate the rest.
maybe i’m not in my right mind but i found myself, with two minutes to spare, scrambling to find a travel mug so that i could hit the road with my hot and spicy and hot and creamy rich delicious beverage and let not a drop go to waste. there were definitely a few times when i almost drove off the side of the twisty misty through-the-mountain roads en route to the doctor because i was reaching for my mug at less than ideal times. but the resulting tumble down the side of the mountain and instant death would have been worth it.
as for the orange hot chocolate with lavender and sea salt, how much convincing do you really need for this one? i went on a date a year or two ago and just about the only thing i remember about it was how good the chocolate orange bread pudding was. the hot chocolate used in both of these recipes was inspired by a restaurant in amsterdam (i’ve never been to amsterdam) where they bring you a scalding mug of milk and a lil cup of chocolate chips and you pour the chocolate into the milk and then live your very best life ever. and it’s a dream all on it’s own but that half teaspoon of orange zest makes it kind of otherwordly.
the lavender sea salt rim isn’t even completely necessary but adds a little bit of a feeling, as you’re sitting on your couch on a gray winter day sipping hot chocolate out of a mug from a family trip to south dakota in 2006, that you’re doing something really special for yourself. have at it.
-kara
sichuan hot chocolate
serves 1 with lots of extra sichuan paste
ingredients
- 4 tbsp canola oil
- 1/4 cup korean chili flakes or regular red pepper chili flakes
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp curry powder
- 1/2 tsp orange zest
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp finely ground sichuan peppercorns
- 1 mug dairy or non-dairy milk of choice
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
instructions
- to make the sichuan paste, combine the oil, chili flakes, sesame seeds, bay leaf, coriander, curry powder, orange zest, and salt in a small saucepan. set over medium heat and bring to a gentle boil. then fry the mixture for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly, until the chili flakes have slightly darkened in color. remove from heat and add the ground sichuan peppercorns. stir for about 10 seconds. let sit at least 2 hours or overnight.
- to make the hot chocolate, bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring often. reduce heat to low and whisk in the chocolate chips until completely melted. remove from heat. put 1 tsp. of the sichuan paste in a mug and then pour in the hot chocolate. stir well and enjoy! store the extra sichuan paste in the refrigerator for up to a week.
orange hot chocolate with sea salt and lavender
serves 1 with lots of extra lavender sea salt
ingredients
- 1 tbsp dried lavender
- 1/2 cup sea salt
- 1 mug dairy or non-dairy milk of choice
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 tsp orange zest
- 1 orange quarter for wetting the rim of the mug
instructions
- coarsely grind together the salt and lavender using a spice grinder, coffee grinder, or mortar and pestle. sprinkle some of the salt mixture onto a plate or cutting board. wet the rim of a mug using an orange quarter and lightly dip the rim in the salt mixture. set aside.
- bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring often. reduce heat to low and whisk in the chocolate chips until completely melted. add in the orange zest, stir, and remove from heat. pour into prepared mug and enjoy!
