Cooking Spice Blends: Chinese 5 Spice
This blend is a wonderful addition to any oriental recipes, but don’t stop there! Rub into fish or poultry. Use it in baking or to give a new twist to your salad dressing. It's also a great way to get creative with cranberries!
Ingredients: Cinnamon, Fennel, Anise, Black Pepper and Cloves.
Celebrating the Chinese New Year in London with two friends from Hong Kong marked my first experience with Chinese 5 Spice. One day during the festivities, some of the many oriental restaurants in the city set up tents and provided samples of their fare. Kathy and Theresa went through the displays critiquing the various uses of some sort of spice blend. I was latter to learn exactly what it was they were speaking of. Throughout history their culture has used this blend for preparing the staples of their diet. This is also an ideal addition to a diet which restricts fats & sodium. If you are a big fan of chicken noodle soup, this is a heavenly way to enhance its taste.
Recipes for our Chinese 5 Spice
ASIAN ROAST PORK
- 2 scallions, chopped
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 lb boneless pork (Or try steak)
- 1/3 cup water
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- ½ tsp CHINESE 5 SPICE
Trim pork of visible fat. Cut into 1”x4”x½” strips & reserve in a bowl. Mix remaining ingredients. Make sure meat is well coated & marinate refrigerated overnight. Roast for 40 min. on one side & 30 min. on the other. This can also be grilled.
CRACKER DIP
- 1 tsp CHINESE 5 SPICE
- 1 cup crushed cranberries
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 cup orange sections
In a bowl mix all ingredients together. Add more sugar if you prefer it sweeter. Serve on Crackers with or without cream cheese.
Photo Credit: Julie Cecchini
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