Chinese five spice is actually a blend of five ground spices. It can be used in many recipes. It is delicious with pork and chicken dishes. The blend is made mainly from star anise, cloves, cinnamon, Sichuan pepper and fennel seeds. It was introduced to China by Arab traders in the 6th century or earlier. In China, it is called “five spice powder.”
There are many different blends available. Some are made with more than five ingredients, and some have ingredients other than those listed above. The best one to use is what you like best; the flavor will be different depending on the ingredients used.
When using the spice mix, remember that the dominant flavor is that of star anise, so use less if you don’t like it very strong. Star anise tastes sweet but has a slightly bitter aftertaste, while cinnamon has a warm and pungent flavor when ground.
Chinese Five Spice is a mixture of cinnamon, cloves, fennel, star anise and Szechuan peppercorns. There are many variations on this mix with additions that include ginger, nutmeg, sesame seeds or ground orange peel.
You can buy Chinese five spice from most supermarkets but it is far better to grind your own because it has a much fresher flavour. The easiest way to do this is to buy whole spices and grind them yourself using a pestle and mortar (or coffee grinder) and a fine grinding plate. Chinese five spice should be added near the end of cooking as the heat tends to rob the mixture of its flavour.
Chinese five spice has been used in Chinese cooking for centuries and is said to have medicinal qualities. It is widely used in southern China as well as in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. It is probably best known as part of the blend of spices used in Chinese five-spice powder which typically contains cinnamon, cloves, fennel seeds, Szechuan peppercorns and star anise.
If you buy pre-ground Chinese five spice, it will be a blend of equal parts of cinnamon, cloves, fennel seeds, star anise, and Sichuan peppercorns. All the spices are dried before being ground together. The mixture can vary from region to region and from shop to shop.
The taste differs from Western five spice in that it is less sweet and more aromatic. It’s used for barbecues and slow cooked dishes such as stews, braised meat and poultry, dumplings, and other recipes where the spices will have time to impart their flavors.
The name comes from the fact that there are five ingredients in it. If you do any shopping in Chinatowns or Asian food stores you’ll see lots of other products that use the same name. The confusion comes up because some of them are blends with different proportions of the ingredients (like Japanese five spice which is a blend of cinnamon, cloves, star anise, Sichuan pepper and fennel seeds), while others are not really related but still called “Chinese five spice” anyway (such as some commercial curry powders).
Chinese five spice is a blend of spices that is used in many Chinese dishes and other Asian dishes. In Chinese five spice, there are five distinct spices that are combined. These spices are star anise, cloves, fennel, cinnamon and Szechwan pepper.
Taste:Spicy with a hint of sweetness
Five Spice Powder, also known as Chinese Five Spice, is a spice mix that tends to get used in Chinese cooking.
Main Ingredients
Chinese five spice has five main ingredients. These are star anise, cloves, cinnamon, Sichuan pepper and fennel seeds. The amounts of these ingredients will vary from one packet to another.
Other Ingredients
Some packets may also include ginger powder, or licorice root. Some may not, depending on how the manufacturer makes their version of the spice mix. You can add these yourself, if your packet does not contain them already.
Taste of Chinese Five Spice
The taste of Chinese Five Spice is a mixture of sweet and spicy. There is a lot of variation in the levels of spiciness and sweetness in different brands.
The Taste Test Method
There is a simple way to find out if you like this spice mix or not; give it a taste test! Make some rice with it and see what you think. If you like the taste then you can add more to your meal than if you didn’t like it at all!
Uses for Five Spice Powder
Five Spice Powder has a lot of uses in Chinese cooking, but it’s certainly not limited to use in Asian cuisine alone!
Chinese Five Spice Powder is a blend of five spices used in Chinese cuisine and other Asian cuisines.
In Chinese cooking, five spice is used in many recipes. It is a blend of star anise, cloves, cinnamon bark, Sichuan pepper and fennel seeds. The combination of five spices brings out the natural flavors in foods. It can be used in many recipes including braised dishes, stir-fried dishes, soups and slow cooked dishes.
Taste and Aroma:
The flavor is warm and pungent with a sweet undertone that is characteristic of Chinese cooking. The aroma is distinct and reminiscent of maple syrup.
Five spice powder tastes best when it is freshly ground. When it is made into a paste with oil or water it becomes dark brown in color and takes on a sweet juniper berry fragrance that reminds one of the smell of camphor or menthol.
Five spice powder should not be confused with mixture which has similar ingredients but in different proportions. Mixture has more star anise while five spice powder has more cinnamon bark and clove in it.
