Chinese 5 Spice is found in the spice aisle of most markets. Because of its versatility makes it easy to find. The simplest use may be sprinkling it over popcorn to provide a special flavor.
5 Spice compliments all of the basic food groups. For instance, use it in any of several different styles of cooking. Firstly, on vegetables, or on fish, or other seafood. Secondly, add it to soups, stews, or stir-fries. Likewise, its range includes everywhere from noodles and rice, to salads, and tacos or sandwiches.
Experimenting and trying new things are biggest factors in finding ways to used it.
Base Recipe for Chinese 5 Spice
Use the following recipe as a starting point for creating your unique 5 Spice blend. Therefore, adjusting the quantity of a flavor you can enhance it or diminish it to your taste. Remember the goal is to get to your preferred flavor.
Chinese 5 Spice
Ingredients
- 1/4 Cup Star Anise Pod: Whole
- 1/4 Cup Cinnamon: ground
- 5 Tablespoons Cloves: Whole
- 5 Tablespoons Peppercorns: Szechuan
- 5 Tablespoons Fennel Seeds
Instructions
- Using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, grind into a fine powder.
- Store in an air tight container.
Notes
Flavor To Your Taste
Feel free to experiment with adjustments. Experimenting is the only way you will find out what you truly prefer. For example, cloves can be overpowering for some pallets. Reducing the amount of cloves will make it a milder flavor in the blend. If you like the flavor of pepper you can add a little bit more. It is up to you. Making blends is not an exact science, experiment. Consider adding an additional spice or more to achieve the flavor you are looking for.
Getting to Your Flavor
I would suggest making some changes to the quantities to find the combination of spices you prefer. To understand what a change does I would recommend change one spice at a time. Changing multiple spices my make it difficult to determine which one made the difference. Keep track of the changes you make so you will be able to duplicate it once you find the combination you prefer. This way you will be able to say, “I Flavored It My Way!”