five spice powder

Once you know the technique, cooking a large Muscovy duck breast is no more difficult than cooking a steak. Fragrant five-spice powder — a heady mix of Sichuan pepper, fennel, clove, star anise and cinnamon — is the perfect duck seasoning, and juicy blackberries make this a brilliant summertime dish. Muscovy duck is found at better butchers, from online sources or even at some farmers' markets. Grill the duck if you prefer, but make sure to keep dripping fat from igniting and scorching the meat. The breast meat is quite lean despite its fatty skin, so it is best cooked to a rosy medium rare or it will be dry. Serve it warm, at room temperature or cold.

Five-Spice Duck Breast With Blackberries

Muscovy duck breasts,

Salt

Chinese five-spice powder

ginger,

garlic cloves, smashed

shallot, finely diced

sherry vinegar

brown sugar

blackberries

chicken broth

Trim duck breasts as necessary, removing extraneous fat or gristle. Score the skin side of the breast diagonally with a sharp knife.

Season both sides of the duck breasts with salt, then sprinkle both sides evenly with five-spice powder. Mix together ginger and garlic and use it to slather the breasts. Cover and let marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature. (Alternatively, wrap and refrigerate for several hours, or even overnight; bring back to room temperature before cooking.)

Place a cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. When pan is hot, lay duck breast in it skin-side down. Let sizzle gently for 7 minutes, until skin is crisp and golden, adjusting heat as necessary to keep from getting too dark too quickly. Turn breast over and cook 3 to 5 minutes more. An instant-read thermometer should register 125 degrees for medium rare. Remove from pan and let rest for 10 minutes on a warm plate. Drain fat from pan (reserve for another use if you wish).

Make the sauce: Over medium heat, add shallots to same pan and cook until softened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add sherry vinegar, brown sugar and half the blackberries, stirring until sugar is dissolved and berries have released their juice. Add chicken broth, raise heat and simmer rapidly until liquid is reduced by half and a bit syrupy. Strain the contents of the skillet into a small saucepan and keep warm.

To serve, slice duck breast thinly across the grain on a diagonal and arrange on a platter. Spoon the sauce over the meat and garnish with the rest of the blackberries.

Making your own five spice powder blend allows you to cater this famous seasoning to your own tastes, and have plenty around to use in a variety of Chinese recipes!

How to Make Five Spice Powder

Chinese cassia cinnamon ((1 part))

fennel seeds ((2 parts))

Sichuan peppercorns ((1 part))

cloves ((1/3 part))

star anise ((for calculations, consider this equivalent to 1 part))

sand ginger powder ((1 part; equivalent to

Gather your cinnamon, fennel seeds, Sichuan peppercorns, cloves, star anise, and sand ginger (if using). Take any of the whole spices you have and toast them in a dry pan over low heat until fragrant.

Transfer to a blender or spice grinder, and blend all the spices into a fine powder. Store in a sealed container away from heat or light. Use within 24 months.

It&#039;s time you switched up your seder menu.

Five-Spice Braised Brisket

ginger, skin on

onions,

vegetable oil

brisket

five-spice powder

salt and pepper,

beef stock

soy sauce

hoisin sauce

garlic

star anise

cloves

cinnamon

scallions,

Rub Five-Spice Blend on Your Brisket

This slow-cooker beef recipe makes a lovely change from a stir-fry but is just as easy to prepare. 

Equipment and preparation: For this recipe, you will need an electric slow-cooker, at least 3.5 litres/6 pints in capacity. 


Slow cooker Chinese-style beef

sunflower oil

red onions, thinly sliced

root

garlic cloves, crushed

tsp dried chilli flakes

500 grams/1lb 2 ounces braising steak, trimmed, cut into 5cm/2in cubes

tsp Chinese five-spice powder

350 milliliters/12fl oz hot beef stock (made with 1 stock cube)

tbsp dark soy sauce

tsp cornflour

tbsp clear honey

black pepper

Not all asparagus dishes are delicate and subtle. Try this stir-fry to see how well the sweetness of asparagus and spicy bold flavors go together.

Wok-Fried Asparagus With Walnuts

asparagus, pencil-size

Sichuan peppercorns, peppercorns

ginger

sugar sugar

bird’s-eye chiles, thinly sliced, or use serrano or Fresno chiles

walnut halves

sesame oil

green onions, slivered

Cilantro sprigs,

Snap off and discard bottoms of asparagus, then cut into 2-inch pieces. (Halve thicker pieces lengthwise first.)

Set a wok over high heat and add vegetable oil. When oil is hot, add asparagus and season lightly with salt. Stir-fry for a minute or so, then add Sichuan pepper, five-spice powder, garlic, ginger, sugar, chiles, soy sauce and walnuts. Continue cooking over high heat for 1 to 2 minutes, tossing to coat well, until asparagus is cooked but still firm and bright green. (It will continue to cook a bit off the heat.)

Transfer asparagus to a serving platter and drizzle with sesame oil. Sprinkle green onions over the top and garnish with cilantro sprigs.

Not all ribs are baked or grilled. These are oven braised with a Vietnamese spice mixture, which makes them succulent and juicy, and very tender. You can braise them a day ahead and keep them refrigerated in their juices;  they reheat beautifully.

Vietnamese Braised Pork Ribs

shallots,

lemongrass

fish sauce (such as Red Boat)

hot chile paste (such as sambal oelek)

salt

baby back ribs

Cilantro and mint sprigs,

Make the marinade: In a small bowl, put the shallots, lemongrass, soy sauce, fish sauce, chile paste, salt, sugar, five-spice powder, garlic and ginger. Mix well.  

Put the meat in a deep baking dish or roasting pan and add marinade. Using your hands, coat ribs well. Let marinate, refrigerated, for at least 2 hours and preferably overnight, well wrapped. Bring back to room temperature before proceeding.

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Add 2 cups water to the pan, cover tightly with foil and place pan in oven. Cook for 30 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees for 1 hour more. When done, the meat should be very tender, nearly but not quite falling off the bone.  Remove cover and return to the oven for about 15 minutes until the ribs are nicely browned.

Remove ribs from pan. Pour pan juices into a saucepan and skim fat. Reduce over high heat until somewhat thickened, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, divide ribs with a sharp knife and pile them onto a platter.

Serve family style with steamed rice and pan juices. Garnish with scallions, cilantro and mint sprigs.

Chinese five-spice gives this chicken a wonderfully warm, aromatic flavour that adults and children will love

Festive golden five-spice chicken

chicken

spring onions

groundnut oil

fresh root ginger

tbsp Shaohsing rice wine

tbsp light soy sauce

3-4 tsp five spice powder

Whisk together the marinade ingredients, put the chicken into a dish, then pour over the marinade, mixing to coat. Cover, then chill for at least 20 mins, or up to a day if you have time.

Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4, and lift the chicken out of the marinade into a roasting tin. Roast for 40 mins, pour over the remaining marinade, then cook for a further 30 mins until golden and sticky. Sprinkle with the spring onion, then serve.

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Top 7 five spice powder recipes from across the web

The most viewed five spice powder recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Five-Spice Duck Breast With Blackbe...

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Five-Spice Braised Brisket

Slow cooker Chinese-style beef

Wok-Fried Asparagus With Walnuts

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The most viewed five spice powder recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine