Five Spice Powder Taste Reviews and Chinese Cooking Tips
Table of Contents
Why five-spice powder is a must-have spice for Asian cuisine?
When it comes to Taiwanese and Chinese dishes, the spice blend that you will run over repeatedly is five-spice powder. It adds a unique flavour to Chinese cuisine and is mainly used in the red cooking technique.
The five-spice powder as the name suggests is available all-round the year as the powdered mix. This is a special combination of spices which is made based on the balancing philosophy of yin (cold) and yang (warm).
Made with the perfect blend of five spices, this spice mixture should hold a permanent place in your kitchen rack. This is a must-have for all Chinese cooking lovers.
What is five-spice powder?
Five-spice powder is basically the mix of five ground spices including Szechuan peppercorns, cinnamon, star anise, fennel, and cloves. The spice mixture can also include anise seeds nutmeg, ginger root, cardamom, turmeric, licorice, amomum villosum pods, and orange peel.
If you visit southern regions of China, you will find that cloves and cinnamon are replaced with orange peel and Saigon cinnamon. This is why the taste of five-spice powder in southern china tastes a bit different from the five-spice powder available in the other areas of China.
This special mix is available all year long. It appears as a dry brown powder and is mainly used for Chinese cuisine.
The warm, tangy-sweet flavour that you taste in many of the Chinese dishes is because of this special spice mixture. You can use it to add a warm and a slightly sweet flavour to roasted meat and poultry dishes. It also makes a perfect match for fishes. This spice mixture is completely dairy-free, fat-free, and gluten-free. Both vegetarian and vegan people can add this to their meals.
This mix of spices was originally used for medical purposes to balance yin and yang. That’s because number 5 is believed to have great healing properties. Five-spice powder is used in many regions of Asia. However, you will mainly find it’s used in China, Taiwan, and Vietnam.
Five-spice powder is made in accordance with the balance of main flavours. The spices mixed interplays between yin and yang.
Why does five-spice powder taste different in China?
If you visit southern regions of China, you will find that cloves and cinnamon are replaced with orange peel and Saigon cinnamon. This is why the taste of five-spice powder in southern china tastes a bit different from the five-spice powder available in the other areas of China.
What does five-Spice powder taste like?
The five-spice powder has a very unique flavour which tastes like licorice because of star anise and the sweet and warm flavours from fennel and cinnamon. The peppery and numbing flavour comes from the Szechuan peppercorns while the cooling sensation is added by the cloves.
To give you a better understanding, we have laid down the attributes of each of the ingredient used in five-spice powder.
- Szechuan peppercorns. For those who think that Szechuan peppercorns are a type of pepper is very wrong. It is actually a kind of berry that looks reddish-brown in colour and comes from the prickly ash bush. This particular ingredient has a unique flavour and thus, play a great role in contributing to the taste of the five-spice powder. It has a spicy, peppery taste that numbs your tongue, after which you will soon get the taste of ginger and anise seeds. Then it gradually becomes sour, salty and hot.
- Cinnamon. We all know that cinnamon tastes like sweet but not as sweet as sugar. Some of the five-spice powder uses cinnamon as one of their main ingredients. They mainly use Chinese cinnamon which comes with a pungent smell
- Fennel. Fennel used in the spice mixture is sweet in taste. It has a bit of pungent flavour in it as well.
- Cloves. Cloves as you may already know tastes a bit sweet and pungent.
- Star anise. Star anise has a very similar taste like licorice. However, it comes with an extra bitter undertone.
These five ingredients with their distinct flavours add a unique taste to the spice mixture. The sweet-tangy taste of the five-spice powder is what people look for when wanting to have Chinese dishes.
How to use five-Spice powder for Asian cuisine?
Five-spice powder is used for a variety of Chinese dishes. From meat rubs to stir-fries, you can use the spice mixture with many of the Chinese dishes that you want. It helps in enhancing the taste of the dish you add it to.
Cooking tip1 – used as a meat rub or spice.
It has a very strong flavour so make sure that you use it in the right amounts. This fragrant spice mixture can make any stir-fry taste delicious. This is the perfect ingredient for those who don’t like to have boring stir-fries.
Cooking tip 2 – use with vinegar and oil
You can use the spice powder with vinegar and oil to apply it on basting pork or steak while grilling it. Chinese people also add the spice powder in sauces as well.
Cooking tip 3 – enhance the taste further
For those who love tofus can enhance the taste of the dish even further by adding a bit of five-spice powder in it. Not just that but this special spice powder is also the secret ingredient used in pressed seasoned bean curd.
Cooking tip 4 – use for marinade
There is a traditional dish called five flower pork. The dish consists of pork belly that is marinated well in five-spice powder along with other seasonings and steamed. In the western countries, pork tenderloins are replaced and it’s called stir-frying instead of steaming.
Cooking tip 5 – add a twist to fruits salads and vegetables
You can even add the spice to add a twist to fruits salads and vegetables. The main advantage of using five-spice powder is that it adds a kick to dry rubs.
Cooking tip 6 – use with honey
There are various light sweet dishes including five-spice pork, five-spice honey roasted chicken and braised honey spareribs that tastes absolutely great when you add the five-spice powder in it.
Five-spice Powder Recipes
Five-spice powder is widely used for marinade, stewing, stir-frying and even steaming. Here are 5 best Chinese recipes that are using five spice powder:
- Roasted Garlic Flavor Chicken wings Recipe
- Fried Bean Curd Sandwich Recipe
- Steamed Rice flour Coated Beef Recipe
- Steam Pork Meatball Recipe
- Steamed Carrot Balls Recipes
Where can you get five-spice powder?
Five-spice powder is so popular among the Asian food lovers that it is always in high demand in the market. The good news is that the spice is easily available at any supermarket you go to. Since it is a very popular spice, it never goes out of markets. But if you want the authenticate spices then the Asian market would be the best choice for you. This is not only going to be more authentic but also be less costly.
In Asian markets, the spice powder is available in a nicely packed plastic bag which allows you to check the aroma of the spice. This will also help you to compare the products of different brands based on the aroma of the product. Before buying the spice make sure that you are buying an airtight jar.
Since the spice is available in the form of powder make sure that you store it correctly or else it will lose its potency. It is advised you to store the product in a cool, dry and dark location. The best thing to do is to buy it in small amounts so that you don’t have to store it at home for long. You can replace the spice powder every few months with the best quality product.
Here are popular five-spice powder based on their prices and reviews.
Is five-Spice powder healthy?
Usually, when we talk about spices, we believe that they are not good for our health. But is it the same thing with five-spice powder? Let’s find out the answer to the question.
Five-spice powder is the best way to add a more complex and distinct flavour to your Asian dishes. The good thing about using this special spice mixture is that you don’t have to add any sugar or salt in your dish. This means the spice doesn’t contribute to your calories which is obviously a good thing.
It takes only a few pinches of the spice to last long. It has a very strong flavour. The spice mixture provides your body with a little amount of iron, calcium, and fiber. In Chinese tradition, the spice mixture was treated as a medical powder. Well, this should give you an idea of whether the spice is good for your health or not.
The five-spice powder is believed to promote the proper function of your body organs. Not just that but it can also boost your overall health. The spice mixture is known to promote blood circulation in the body and also stimulate your body.
From the above discussion, it is clear that five-spice powder is not only unique in taste but it also has many health properties. Consuming this spice mixture can provide you with many health benefits which are usually not the case with other spices.
Conclusion
Five-spice powder is the heart of Chinese dishes. It adds a distinct, sweet-tangy flavour to your dishes. Made with five essential ingredients, this is the perfect blend of yin and yang. The best thing about this spice mixture is that you can add it to almost any Asian dish to improve its flavour. However, it is mainly suitable as meat rubs and poultry dishes. Not just that but the spice is also good for your health. It can provide you with many health benefits that you cannot get from other spices.
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