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Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Chinese Five-Spice in Under 5 Minutes








Making your own Chinese five-spice powder is not only simple, it's super fast.   Whether you're looking to make char siu or just liven up some vegetables, you can have this aromatic blend of Asian spices ready to go in mere minutes. 

Composed of five (hence the name) highly aromatic and warming spices, Chinese five-spice powder works for both savory and sweet applications, making it a great addition to your pantry.

This mixture makes use of the pleasantly mouth-numbing Szechuan (also Sichuan or Szechwan) peppercorn, which as it turns out, isn't really a peppercorn at all.  You can easily find these on the internet or gourmet spice stores, but if you're in a real pinch, black pepper is acceptable.  Just don't make a habit out of using it instead. 

Try this as a rub for some roasted chicken or duck, with carrots, or sprinkled into whipped cream for some complexity.

I'll be posting a recipe that makes use of this great spice mix soon.  In the meantime, do some experimenting with it for yourself.




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Ingredients (yields ~1.5 tablespoons):

2 star anise (~2.5 g)
1, 2 inch stick of cinnamon (~2 g)
2 t Szechuan peppercorns (2.5 g)
15 whole cloves (~1 g)
1/2 t fennel seeds (1.5 g)


 18, 1/4 tsp servings
Calories
Protein
(g)
Carbs
(g)
Fat
(g)
Sodium
(mg)
Sugar
(g)
Total:
28
1
7
1
4
1
Per Serving:
2
0
0
0
0
0

1.  Toast spices in a dry pan over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.
2.  Once spices are fragrant and lightly toasted, add to a spice grinder.  Pulse the machine a couple times, and then run it until you have a fine powder (about 40 seconds)
3.  Use for "red braising" techniques, as a rub, in marinades, with vegetables, or in desserts.  


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