Recipe: Chinese Five-Spice [edit]

Other Names: Five-Spice Powder

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Edited by: Alisa Escanlar, Sheri, Barnaby Dorfman

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Wikipedia

Five-spice powder is a mixture of five spiceshttp://www.theepicentre.com/Spices/chinesefivespice.htmlhttp://www.schwartz.co.uk/productdetail.cfm?id=5198 used in Chinese cuisine. One common recipe includes ''tunghing'' or "Chinese cinnamon" (also known as ''rougui'', the ground bark of the cassia tree, a close relative of true cinnamon), powdered cassia buds, powdered star anise and anise seed, ginger root, and ground cloves. Another recipe for the powder consists of ''huajiao'' (Sichuan pepper), ''bajiao'' (star anise), ''rougui'' (cassia), cloves, and fennel seeds. It is used in most recipes for Cantonese roasted duck, as well as beef stew. It is also used as a marinade for Vietnamese broiled chicken. The five-spice powder mixture has followed the Chinese diaspora and has been incorporated into other national cuisines throughout Asia. The formulae are based on the Chinese philosophy of balancing the yin and yang in food. Although this spice is used in restaurant cooking, many Chinese households do not use it in day-to-day cooking. In Hawaii, some restaurants have it on the table. A versatile seasoned salt can be easily made by stir-frying common salt with Five-spice powder under low heat in a dry pan until the spice and salt are well mixed.

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[edit] Ingredients

2	teaspoons of Szechuan peppercorns
8	star anise
½	teaspoon ground cloves
1	tablespoon ground cinnamon
1	tablespoon ground fennel seeds

[edit] Preparation

Step 1	In a dry skillet, roast the Szechuan peppercorns by shaking the pan over low to medium heat until the aroma of the peppercorns is released (about three minutes).
Step 2	Grind the roasted peppercorns and star anise in a blender or pepper mill.
Step 3	Strain the blended seasonings.
Step 4	Mix in cloves, cinnamon, and fennel seeds.
Step 5	Grind the seasonings until very fine.
Step 6	Store in an airtight container.

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[edit] About Chinese Five-Spice

Chinese five spice is a seasoning in Chinese cuisine. It incorporates the five principle flavors in Chinese cooking: sweet, sour, bitter, savory, and salty. The ratio of ingredients varies from region to region and maker to maker.