The flavor of Chinese five-spice is cozy, comforting, and tastes just like fall! While it’s commonly associated with savory dishes, it can also add an interesting twist to sweet and fruity flavors. The warm and aromatic notes of cinnamon, cloves, and star anise work well with the delicate flavor of pears complementing their natural sweetness.
Chinese Five Spice Powder has been used in Chinese cooking for centuries. Although its origins are somewhat mysterious, it seems to have roots in traditional Chinese medicine. The belief was that this mixture would foster internal harmony by uniting the five main flavors traditionally employed in Chinese cuisine: sweet, sour, pungent, bitter, and salty. By achieving this balance of flavors, aligned with the five main elements (earth, fire, water, metal, and wood), tradition held that one could achieve balance in mind and body.
This flavorful blend of spices typically includes star anise, Szechuan peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, and fennel seeds and while five spice powder won’t magically cure ailments, it can certainly elevate lackluster dishes.
Chinese five spice as been a favorite of mine for many years. I like it in both sweet and savory dishes but today I thought it would make these ordinary little fall muffins into something special – and it does!
Print Recipe
Chinese 5 Spice Pear & Applesauce Muffins
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
|
|
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
|
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line muffin cups with 8 jumbo papers or 12 regular size papers.
Using an electric mixer, cream together butter & sugar then add applesauce, eggs & vanilla & mix until smooth.
In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt & 5-spice powder.
Add flour mixture to wet mixture, folding in only until barely combined then add diced pear & gently fold into mixture.
Scoop the batter evenly into prepared muffin tin. Divide topping between muffins & gently spread over top using a fork. Bake 25-30 minutes & a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
Cool for 5 minutes before removing from muffin tin.
The term traybake seems to have two very different meanings. For example:
- A dessert baked in a square or rectangular pan and then cut into squares or slices after baking.
OR
- a savory dish consisting of several items of food being placed together on a baking tray along with some seasonings, then go into the oven together. With the right cut of meat and the right vegetables, they all are done at the same time. Dinner is served!
Life’s hustle and bustle can mean the last thing you want to worry about is fixing a busy dinner with multiple pots and pans…and having to clean it all up. The solution? Simple tray bakes. With minimal prep, basic ingredients, and little clean-up, this is surely one of the quickest ways to get dinner on the table (and takes less time than waiting for food to be delivered).
For the best success with this easy cooking technique, use your sturdiest pan (this will prevent your ingredients from browning too much) and have a bottle of your favorite oil cooking spray handy. Once you’ve assembled everything on the sheet pan, you can sit back, relax, and let the oven do the work for you.
When you’re roasting food, air circulation is everything. That’s why low-rimmed baking sheets are preferred over roasting pans. They accelerate cooking and boost browning in a traybake.
Traybake is the cooking technique of choice for these Chinese 5-spice chicken thighs. Simply load a sheet pan with chicken thighs that have been marinated in the spicy Chinese sauce, then you can just pop it in the oven and wait for the magic to happen. Serve over brown or white rice garnished with green onion.
Print Recipe
Sticky Chinese Five-Spice Chicken Traybake
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
|
|
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
|
Instructions
In a container with a cover, combine hoisin sauce, sesame oil, honey, five-spice powder, ginger, garlic & some salt & pepper.
Add chicken thighs to marinade & toss to coat. Cover & refrigerate for about 2 hours or overnight.
-
Arrange chicken thighs on a foil-lined baking sheet. Roast for 30-40 minutes until cooked through, basting at least once. If using cashews, remove chicken from oven & stir through chicken. Bake 5 minutes more.
Prepare rice while chicken is baking. Arrange on a platter & top with chicken thighs. Garnish with green onions.
Recipe Notes
- If you wish, garnish with some cashew nuts for extra flavor.
It seems that the exact origin of five-spice powder is unknown but there is some speculation that the blend was created in traditional Chinese medicine. A very unique spice blend that represents a wide range of flavors from sweet, salty and bitter to pungent and sour. Rumor has it that the Chinese were trying to create a ‘miracle powder’ that was representative of all the five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal and water. Then again, its possible that a cook accidentally stumbled upon this particular combination of spices and realized its power to improve on a bland dish. In any case, it is very versatile and can be used not only in cooking but also adds a unique flavor to baked goods.
Many recipes for five-spice powder exist but there is no one traditional recipe. Often the ingredients and amounts can vary from region to region and are different depending on the household and individual tastes. The original blend contained star anise, Szechuan peppercorns, fennel seed, cinnamon and cloves. A staple in Chinese cuisine but has also found its way into other international cuisines such as Vietnamese and Hawaiian food.
This is an interesting recipe combining pork with a spicy rhubarb sauce. Definitely a keeper!
Print Recipe
Chinese Pork Ribs with Spicy Rhubarb Sauce
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
|
|
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
|
Instructions
Rhubarb Sauce
-
In a saucepan, combine rhubarb, water, honey, hoisin, garlic, ginger, 5-spice powder & crushed red pepper. Bring to a simmer; cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly reduced & the rhubarb is very soft, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat & stir in soy sauce & lemon juice. Transfer 2 TABLESPOONS of the sauce to a saucer; set aside the remaining sauce until serving time.
Rib Marinade
-
In a resealable large plastic bag, combine soy sauce, honey, oil, 5-spice powder, salt, pepper & the 2 Tbsp of reserved 'rhubarb sauce'. Place ribs in the bag; seal & marinate in refrigerator at least 2 hours or overnight.
-
Preheat oven to 275 F. Place ribs & marinade in a baking dish. Place in oven to SLOW roast for about 1 1/2 hours until VERY tender. Remove from oven, garnish with sliced green onion & serve with remaining rhubarb sauce.
