Chinese Five-Spice

As I read the paper I tuned to the new Cooking Channel show Everyday Exotic. Today’s episode was Chinese Five-Spice and featured recipes for burgers, cucumber relish, aioli and fried onions.

I don’t think of five-spice as exotic. I’ve had it on my shelf for years. But what do I typically sprinkle it on: steamed edamame pods! I eat it like popcorn from a big bowl when I’m watching tv. Most recipes call for Five-Spice in meats and stews, but I think its great on vegetables as a spicy salt substitute. The Spice Hunter makes a nice blend and is available in most supermarkets, or online, for about $6.50 for 1.6 oz (Yes, I know its probably cheaper in Peoria, but I don’t live in Peoria)>

What are the five spices? Recipes differ, but Chinese five-spice encompasses the 5 tastes to balance the yin and yang:

• sweet
• sour
• spicy
• pungent
• salty

The most typical ingredients are cinnamon, fennel, cloves, star anise and Szechuan peppercorns. I always buy mine at the grocery, but I found this recipe on the popular chinesefood.about website:

1. In a dry skillet, roast 2 teaspoons of Szechuan peppercorns by shaking the pan over low to medium heat until the aroma of the peppercorns is released (about three minutes).
2. Grind the roasted peppercorns and 8 star anise in a blender or pepper mill.
3. Strain the blended seasonings.
4. Mix in 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, and 1 tablespoon ground fennel seeds.
5. Grind the seasonings until very fine.
6. Store in an airtight container.

Tips:

1. Use five-spice powder sparingly, as it can be quite pungent.
2. If desired, you can substitute black peppercorns for the Szechuan peppercorn, and ground anise for the star anise (use 4 teaspoons of ground anise).

Moi tip: This got me thinking, next time I pop a batch of popcorn, I’m going to sprinkle it with Chinese Five-Spice instead of salt!