Easy Sichuan recipes

Buy a stock of Sichuan chili peppers [peppercorns] from a local Asian market; say the word "numbing" if they don’t know what you mean.  Hoard them as if they were Treasury securities.  Fry batches of them in peanut oil when needed, with a few black peppercorns and a few small red chilies.  A blender, and a bit of water, turns them into a paste.  When cooking whatever-the-other-stuff is (catfish and asparagus would be my first choice), apply the paste to your stir fry.  Also toss in small amounts of rice vinegar and Chinese wine and possibly soy sauce.  Sizzle the white parts of scallions into the early makings of the stir-fry.