Five-spice powder brings its complex mix of flavors to Chinese cuisine and is notably used in the red cooking technique. You will find it sold year-round as a powdered mix. It is the best-known Chinese spice mixture and it combines spices in accordance with the balancing philosophy of yin and yang.
What Is It?
Five-spice powder is a seasoning blend of ground spices, appearing as a dry brown powder. In Chinese cuisine, it is most often used to flavor braised or roasted meat, fish, and poultry dishes, and may be included in marinades and rubs. The typical blend is fat-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, and vegetarian.
Origins
Chinese five-spice powder may have originally been used medicinally to balance yin and yang. Five is considered to be a number associated with healing properties. It has been integrated into Chinese and Taiwanese cuisine and it is also used in Vietnamese cuisine and in other parts of Asia. For cooking, the theory is that five-spice encompasses a balance of the main flavors, with interesting interplays between cool (yin) and warm (yang).
A typical recipe for five-spice powder calls for Szechuan (Sichuan) peppercorns, ground cloves, fennel, cinnamon, and star anise. Five-spice powder can also include anise seeds, ginger root, nutmeg, turmeric, cardamom,amomum villosum pods (similar to cardamom), licorice, orange peel, or galangal.
In southern China, five-spice powder usually uses Saigon cinnamon and orange peel to replace Chinese cinnamon and cloves, so the five-spice powder from southern China tastes a little different compared to other five-spice powder from other regions of China.
Five-spice powder has a distinct licorice-like flavor due to star anise, with sweet and warm flavors from the cinnamon and fennel. Cloves add a cooling sensation while the Szechuan peppercorns add a numbing and peppery note.
Take a look at the different taste attributes of each ingredient:
Cinnamon is sweet, but unlike sugar, it has a spicy undertone. Some five-spice recipes call for Chinese cinnamon or cassia, a close cousin of true cinnamon, but with a more pungent flavor.
Szechuan peppercorns are nota pepper at all, but a reddish-brown berry that comes from the prickly ash bush. Szechuan peppercorn has a truly unique taste. The first sensation from this aromatic spice is a peppery (spicy) taste that quickly numbs the tongue. Soon, you'll pick up hints of anise and ginger, gradually becoming lemony (sour), salty, and hot.
Ground cloves have a pungent, sweet flavor.
Star anise has a taste similar to licorice with a more bitter undertone.
Fennel is similar to anise but sweeter and less pungent without as much of the licorice taste.
Cooking Tips
Five-spice powder is used sparingly as a spice or a meat rub, as it can be quite strong. This fragrant mixture is delicious in any stir-fry recipe. Also,try mixing a teaspoon with some oil and vinegar and use it to baste steak or pork while it's on the grill.Occasionally you will also see five-spice powder added to a sauce. Five-spice powder goes very nicely with tofu and it's one of the secret ingredients in pressed seasoned bean curd.
A traditional dish called five flower pork consists of pork belly that is marinated in five-spice powder and other seasonings and steamed. Western versions of the dish substitute pork tenderloin or pork chops and call for stir-frying instead of steaming.
Recipes
Five-spice powder adds a spicy kick to dry rubs or marinades for meat, fish, or poultry. It goes particularly well with porkor you can rub it onto chicken before you roast it. It will also add a Chinese twist to vegetables and even to a fruit salad.
Buying Tips
The bottled five-spice powder can often be found in the spice section of most supermarkets. But a better source can be an Asian market, where it is likely to cost less and be more authentic. At Asian markets, it may be packaged in a plastic bag, allowing you to check the aroma and compare brands before you buy them. Be sure to store it in an airtight jar when you bring it home.
Storage
Store five-spice powder in a sealed glass container in a cool, dark, dry location. As with most powdered spices, it will lose its potency over time. It is best to buy it in small amounts and replace it every couple of months for the best quality, although it will still be safe to use for several months.
Though its exact origins are unknown, it's believed that the Chinese were trying to create a “wonder powder” which incorporated all five tastes of Chinese cuisine – salty, sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy. The number 5 has significance in Chinese food culture and in ancient medicinal texts.
It's sweet but also earthy, spicy but also cooling, and strongly aromatic. The licorice flavor of the star anise comes out strong, supported by the fennel seed, which also has a warmth and sweetness to it. However, the cinnamon exhibits both traits more dominantly. It also has a peppery kick to it.
Five Spice Powder is based on ancient Chinese lore that the universe is composed of five elements - wood, metal, water, fire and earth. Ingredients of Five Spice Powder represent those five elements, balanced in the harmonious melding of five flavors - sweet, sour, bitter, pungent and salty.
Ingredients. A common mix for ground five-spice powder (center) is (clockwise from top left) cinnamon, fennel seeds, star anise, Sichuan peppercorns and cloves. While there are many variants, a common mix is: Star anise (bājiǎo 八角)
Whilst you're never going to get the classic flavour that Chinese 5 spice provides with a substitute, there are some seasonings that come pretty close. Star anise, allspice, garam masala, sichuan peppercorns and cinnamon sticks are all worthy replacements – but the real stuff is always best!
The five flavors of food – salty, sweet, sour, spicy, bitter – hold significant meaning and therapeutic value in Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). In TCM, food not only nourishes but also has the power to heal the body.
Sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami are five taste elements that build our overall perception of flavour. When each element is perfectly balanced - not only on the plate, but across an entire meal - the dining experience is lifted above and beyond.
They are sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami (or savory).
Each of these flavors is unique in its own right, and they all carry an important function. You see, taste used to tell us what we could eat (and what would be dangerous). Thus, taste has an important signaling function for us.
Originated in Southern China, Chinese five-spice contains star anise, fennel seeds, szechuan peppercorns, cloves, and cinnamon. It is believed that the Chinese were attempting to produce a “wonder powder” encompassing all of the five elements-- wood, fire, earth, metal, and water.
Warm, sweet, and wondrous, Chinese five spice is a favorite for barbecue, braised dishes, roasted veggies, quick stir fries, noodle dishes, and even desserts. This blend creates a shortcut into authentic Chinese flavors, but you'll soon find yourself fusing it into all types of cooking.
The spices included in the mix are rich in antioxidants, and contain minerals such as copper, iron, and manganese. As the name suggests, Chinese 5 Spice is often used in Chinese cooking and other Asian cuisines. It makes an excellent dry rub or marinade for meat or tofu.
Unlike Allspice which is made from one spice, Chinese Five Spice (五香粉) is made from five spices: Star anise (八角) Chinese cinnamon (肉桂) Fennel seeds (小茴香)
The blend generally consists of five spices - star anise, fennel, cinnamon (cassia), Sichuan pepper, and clove. The blend should be balanced, but many versions are dominated by the flavor of licorice because of the heavy handed use of star anise and fennel.
Warm, sweet, and wondrous, Chinese five spice is a favorite for barbecue, braised dishes, roasted veggies, quick stir fries, noodle dishes, and even desserts. This blend creates a shortcut into authentic Chinese flavors, but you'll soon find yourself fusing it into all types of cooking.
At first glance seven spice powder may sound like a variant on Chinese five spice powder, but they couldn't be more different. Or rather, they're exactly as different as their native cuisines. Five spice, fragrant with sweet and spicy anise flavors, is the perfect compliment to meaty Chinese braises and barbecues.
Introduction: My name is Trent Wehner, I am a talented, brainy, zealous, light, funny, gleaming, attractive person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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