Chinese Five Spice I Made It

Chinese Five Spice

pointsevenout 15 years ago

Recipe by Princesa9580: Chinese 5 Spice Powder
I made this tonight while waiting for some bread to rise. It smells real close to the real thing, except stronger. Maybe a benefit of fresh, so to speak, spices.
Didn't have the Szechwan pepper. Used paprika instead.
Does anyone have a source for the Szechwan pepper?

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pointsevenout 15 years ago said:

Had to grind the star anise and fennel seeds in a make shift bowl with the pestle I found way down deep in the bowels of a drawer. Used a 1/2 cup pyrex custard cup. Had the rest of the spices already preground in the spice cabinet.

Szechwan must not be that hot because I use the 5-spice all the time and don't notice any heat.

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lilliancooks 15 years ago said:

Its funny that you mention grinding your own spices...I was just watching Alton Brown do that last night on 'Good Eats'...He showed what was the best type of mortar and pestle. He said to use a pharmaceutical one because they have just the correct amount of traction in the bowl. He also showed a great spice house in Georgia...they had every kind of spice you can imagine! Whole or ground spices!

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juels 15 years ago said:

You can find Szechwan pepper on the internet, I am sure. maybe your local Asian store will carry it.

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otterpond 15 years ago said:

http://www.wholespice.com/frame/?id=1816

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lori4flavor 15 years ago said:

Do a Google search for something like 'Asian Grocer' including your home town.

Found on wikipedia, of some interest;

Sichuan pepper has a unique aroma and flavour that is not hot or pungent like black or white pepper, or chili peppers, but has slight lemony overtones and creates a tingly numbness in the mouth. Only the husks are used; the shiny black seeds are discarded or ignored as they have a very gritty sand-like texture.

More found here; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sichuan_pepper

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pointsevenout 15 years ago said:

Thank you. Did that. Thanks for everyones' help. We do not have an oriental style store in our area. Closest thing is a Mexican store. Looks like I'm regulated to the internet stores but I'll still keep an eye out.

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