Chinese Five Spice Powder
Chinese five spice powder is a spice mixture made from Chinese cinnamon, powdered star anise, fennel, powdered Szechuan peppercorns, and ground cloves. It combines the five flavors of Chinese cuisine: sweet, sour, pungent, bitter, and salty. In Chinese cuisine, five spice powder is commonly used as a marinade to season pork, beef, or duck.
Provide:
Bottled Chinese five-spice powder can often be found at local supermarkets, Asian stores, or some specialty stores, however, the best qualitied Chinese five spice powder is in Asian stores, either is cheaper or more authentic. And also you may find specifically designed packages of five-spice powder for chicken, beef or other dishes in Asian stores as well, which will save you lots of time.
Usage:
Adding five-spice powder whenever you want to lend flavor to stir-fries, soups and red-cooked dishes. Usually people like to mix five spice powder with salt to make an excellent marinade, then rub and season meats, but you are supposed to use sparingly, it is easy to ruin a dish by adding too much, a little goes a long way.
Made your own style five spice powder at home:
Though you can purchase five spice powder in many supermakers, the flavor of them may not be as intense as it is made at home. Here is how tos:
1. Preheat a skillet for at least 30 seconds, add 2 tbsps. Szechuan peppercorns and heat over medium heat, toss occasionally, until release the strong aroma, about 2-3 minutes.
2. Remove the toasted Szechuan peppercorn from the skillet to a blender, blend with 8 star anise until done.
3. Add 1 tbsp. ground cloves, 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon, 1 tbsp. ground fennel seeds into the blender, continue to blend until well mixed.
4. When finished, remove the five spice powder to an airtight container, store in a cool, and dark place until use.
5. Use five-spice powder sparingly, as it can be quite intense in flavor.
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