Five Spice Powder

[andiesenji]

The five spice is one example where the end result is greater than the sum of the parts.

Each spice enhances the other so that the combination steps over the line and becomes something far more than one would expect.

Until you try it, it won't mean much to you. As a test, bake a sweet potato half way, split it in half, made a few cross cuts in the cut face, sprinkle a little five spice and put a dab of butter on one half, just butter on the other half.

Return to the oven and bake until done. Then taste.

This will give you a definitive answer to how it affects the flavor of something as mundane as a sweet potato.

[Yuki]

Um... it is like trying to describe to someone who have never had beef about what beef taste like. Five spice powder is extremely cheap so I would just recommend you to just try some of the recipes out. You can also just cut a small piece of meat and pan fried it as a small test. Remember that there is usually no salt in five spice powder so you will need to add some salt in the rub.

[docsconz]

I love it rubbed on pan-seared duck breast.

[Dejah]

I love the aroma of 5 spice.

One of my friends like to sprinkle it on her ham yui and cook this on top of her rice.

Edited March 5, 2005 by Dejah (log)

[hzrt8w]

I've got a bottle, just don't know what to do with it.

For the person who sprinkles it on chicken before

baking, what does that do to the chicken? What

flavour does it add?

←

I think the key characteristic of the five spices is "aroma". They smell very good in dried form. When used in cooking, the aroma gets soaked up in the food.

Chinese five spices:

Star anise

Cumins

Cinnamons

Szechuan Pepper Corn

Cloves

I like to use the whole spices in cooking. You gotta taste them to learn how they... taste. The best is to taste these spices individually as they all taste different. Although I personally can't taste too much of anise... its strong taste and smell makes me dizzy.

In Chinese BBQ, we don't sprinkle them ON the chicken. We mix five spices with salt to rub the INSIDE of the chicken. Or five spices are generally added to soy sauce + water + rock sugar to simmer chicken/pork/beef.

Cinnamons are used very often in European/American pastry/dessert. Cinnamon and sugar is a very complimentary combination. You taste it in cinnamon rolls, apple pies, cakes, etc..

Cumins are key ingredients in making Mexican food.

Star anise: many candies use anise as a flavoring. e.g. Peppermint candies, jaw breakers.

Szechuan pepper corns: used very often in Szechuan style dishes such as Mapo tofu, Kung Pao chicken, etc..

Clove is the best smelling one of them all.

I think out of the 5, anise, cinnamon and clove have the strongest fragrant and thus are very suitable to be used in sweet food such as desserts and candies.

[Feedbag]

Well, finally got around to trying it last night.

Took the sweet potato suggestion and it was yummy!

I can see why so many of you thought it was hard to

describe the taste; it is both sweet and savoury. Really

quite unique.

Thanks so much for your feedback. I'm now emboldened

to try so many other dishes with it.

Cheers!

[Ninjai Fanatic]

we use it for chinese spring rolls or the fillings of the bread

[helenjp]

It's popular these days in a Japanesque "Chinese" recipe for chicken livers - livers dusted in cornflour and a very little five spice powder are fried till nicely crusted, then simmered briefly in soy sauce, rice wine, and perhaps ginger and dried tangerine peel, then allowed to steep in the cooking liquor.

[prestony]

I used five spice powder to do Baked chicken drumsticks. I found that chicken wings, drumsticks, even duck can taste fantastic with Five spice powder. I would love to hear some other ideas what you guys use the spice for.