Five Spice Powder

Chinese five spice powder is a spice mixture, typically made from five spices, Chinese cinnamon, fennel, powdered star anise, powdered Szechuan peppercorns, and ground cloves. It combines the five flavors of of Chinese cuisine: sweet, sour, pungent, bitter, and salty. And five spice powder is typically used as a marinade to season meats, like pork, beef, and duck in Chinese cooking.

Five-spice powder

Bottled five-spice powder can often be found at local supermarkets, Asian markets, and some specialty stores. However, the best qualitied fice spice powder is in Asian market. Either is cheaper or more authentic. And sometimes you may find specifically designed packages of five-spice for chicken, beef or other dishes in Asian markets as well, which will save you lots of time.

Try to add five-spice powder whenever you want to lend flavor to stir-fries, soups and red-cooked dishes. Usually people like 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.

Though you can purchase five spice powder in many supermakers, the flavor of which 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 fice 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.