Chinese Five Spice Powder

An essential element of many Chinese dishes, this Chinese Five Spice Powder is fragrant and so much more flavorful than store-bought mixes. Freshly grinding the spices makes all the difference!

I’ve bought Chinese five spice powder many times but I guess I don’t use it often enough because it seems to lose its potency and flavor by the next time I need some.

The answer, of course, is to grind the spice mix in smaller amounts and store it, like all spices, in a sealed jar away from the light. You can use a mortar and pestle for this or a spice grinder. 

If you search for a recipe for five spice powder, there are tons of recipes online, many starting with already ground spices, just mixed together. While that would do in a pinch, it’s not going to give you the same punch and flavor of freshly ground spices. 

Chinese Five Spice Powder

Many recipes suggest that if you cannot locate Szechuan peppercorns, you can substitute black peppercorns. You can, of course, but it won’t have the same mouth tingling effect as the traditional recipe. 

Ingredients

6-7 small star anise

1 tablespoon fennel seeds

1 piece (about 2 in or 4cm) cinnamon bark 

1 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns

1 teaspoon cloves

Method

Grind all the spices together with a mortar and pestle or a coffee bean grinder reserved only for spices.

It’s that easy. 

Store in an airtight container in a cool place. 

You might like to try my soy braised pork with eggs dish, especially if you’ve got leftover boiled eggs from Easter. Motivation to make the Chinese five spice powder! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing homemade spice mixes. Many thanks to our host, Amy of Amy's Cooking Adventures. Check out the links below.

• Chinese Five Spice Powder by Food Lust People Love
• DIY Country Gravy Mix by Palatable Pastime
• Homemade Garam Masala by Mayuri's Jikoni
• Homemade Taco Seasoning by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Italian Herb Blend by Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Sicilian Pesto by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Spicy Fried Fish With Homemade Fish Masala by Sneha's Recipe

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join. 

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Butter Prawns – Malaysian Style

Butter Prawns - aka shrimp - are crunchy, spicy and fragrant with golden egg floss and crisp curry leaves. They are a specialty at Malaysian Chinese eateries and one of our family favorites.

If you’ve been reading this space for a while, you know that I have a very soft spot for a restaurant in Kuala Lumpur called Mei Keng Fatt. It is super casual (think plastic chairs and paper napkins) but the food is delicious. The menu includes all manner of Chinese dishes with chicken, beef, pork and even ostrich but the specialties are chili crab and butter prawns.

We went often on a Friday night and our order never varied: black pepper beef, chili crab, cashew chicken, baby kailan with garlic and butter prawns. We’d finish the meal with fresh mango served on a platter covered with crushed ice. Divine!

When we moved on to Singapore in 2007, we were disappointed to find that what the seafood restaurants there called butter prawns were a terrible concoction that substituted butter-fried oats for the egg yolk floss. Sure, that’s probably easier but it’s not the same! And their chili crab sauce seemed to be made with ketchup. What up, Singapore?

After moving back to KL in 2009, we frequented Mei Keng Fatt even more often because we'd missed it so! Also we figured our days in Malaysia were numbered and we wanted to take advantage of its delights as many times as possible before the next transfer. I don’t even want to guess how often we went (or picked up takeaway) between 2009 and 2012!

Butter Prawns – Malaysian Style

Now, of course, I have to make my own butter prawns. This recipe does take some time but none of the steps are hard. Just take it slow and you’ll get there. I promise it will be so worth it! This recipe is adapted from one on Malaysian Delicacies.

Ingredients

4 eggs

2.2 lbs or 1kg (weight without head and shell) large size prawns or shrimp

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1/3 cup or 40g cornstarch

1/3 cup or 75g ghee (clarified butter)

4 to 5 sprigs fresh curry leaves

8 hot chili peppers, chopped

1/2 cup or 120ml canola or other light oil

Method

Separate your eggs putting the yolks in a small bowl and one white in another. Put the other three whites in a sealed contain and put them in the refrigerator for another use. (I like to use mine for mini pavlovas or macaroons.)  Beat the yolks well. Beat the single egg white well. 

 

Wash and peel the prawns, leaving just the tails on. Sprinkle them with the salt and sugar. Add the well-beaten egg white to the bowl and stir well to distribute the salt and sugar and to coat the prawns with the egg white.

Sprinkle on the cornstarch with a small sieve, stirring well to coat. Set aside. 

To make the egg floss, heat a wok or large nonstick pan then add the ghee. Once the ghee is hot, pour in the beaten egg yolks in a very thin stream while stirring it continuously to get fine shreds of yolk. Since my pan is nonstick, I like to use a rubber-coated whisk for this. 

Keep stirring over medium heat until you have finished pouring all the egg yolks. 

It bubbles up but persevere and keep stirring until it turns into golden crispy floss.

Turn off the stove. Over the pan, spoon the egg floss into a sieve so the ghee drips back into the pan. 

Set the sieve over a bowl to keep draining or pour the floss onto some paper towels to drain. 

Add the canola oil to the pan. Lift the prawns one by one out of the bowl and add them in batches to the hot oil, cooking until they are golden and crispy on both sides. 

Remove them to a pan lined with newspaper and topped with clean paper towels.  Continue frying the prawns until they are all golden and crispy. 

Discard all but three tablespoons of the oil and heat the pan again over a medium flame. Add in the chopped chili peppers and curry leaves. 

You’ll want your vent hood on for this step to extract the spicy air from the chili peppers, if it wasn’t on already for the prawn frying. You'll notice there are no photos of this step. That's because I was coughing too much. Lesson learned!

Update: Found some photos of a prior time I made this and had the vent hood fan on! Truly it's one of our favorites. 

Fry until the curry leaves turn crispy and a bit darker, which takes just a minute or so. Add the prawns back in and give a few stirs to rewarm them all. 

Add most of the egg floss in and stir. 

Spoon the prawns onto a serving plate and sprinkle with the reserved egg floss to serve. 

Enjoy!

It’s Sunday FunDay and time to get ready for a lunar new year celebration to welcome  the Year of the Tiger with a delicious list of Chinese or Asian inspired recipes! Check out the list below. Many thanks to our host, Sue of Palatable Pastime. 

• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Tiger Salad
• Making Miracles: Shrimp Cakes
• Palatable Pastime: San Choy Bow
• Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Chow Steak Kow (Steak Stir Fry)
• Food Lust People Love: Butter Prawns
• Mayuri’s Jikoni: Kung Pao Cauliflower
• Sneha’s Recipe: Pork Chilli With Peppers
• Sizzling Tastebuds: Instant Pot Asian Style Veg Noodles

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Tiger Biting Pig Buns - 老虎咬猪包子 - Lǎohǔ Yǎo Zhū Bāozi #BreadBakers

Tiger Biting Pig Buns are soft, steamed bread filled with slices of rich char siu pork, fresh cilantro and roasted peanuts with a little sugar. Each bite is more delectable than the next! 

According to many websites these filled buns are a famous and popular snack in Taiwan. I'm not sure why they think the bun looks like a tiger but it's definitely got a mouthful of pig. While pork is the most traditional filling, nowadays you can find versions with fried chicken, fried fish or even beef. 

I chose to make traditional pork buns in celebration of the fact that one of my favorite Asian grocery stores - Hong Kong Food Market – has reopened the section that sells char siu pork and roasted duck. It’s been shut since COVID took hold in Houston early last year and we really missed it. Whenever I’m there I buy char siu pork, wrap it really good and freeze it for use in stir-fried noodles. So good!

Tiger Biting Pig Buns

This recipe was adapted from one on HiLove. If you are not fortunate enough to be able to buy char siu pork already made, there are many recipes online that are quite simple. I can also recommend a real shortcut that works beautifully: Use the Noh brand marinade mix. We love it and it’s sold at many supermarkets. Hopefully one near you. It's been one of my usual suitcase items wherever we've lived in the world for many years.

Ingredients

For the 4 steamed buns:

1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 cup or 120ml warm water

2/3 cup or 80g plain flour

2/3 cup or 80g bread flour

For the filling:

1/2 lb or 225g char siu pork (Chinese barbecue pork)

1/4 cup or 35g roasted peanuts

1 teaspoon sugar

Small bunch cilantro

Method

In a large bowl, combine the yeast and sugar with water until dissolved. Set aside for a few minutes to activate the yeast. 

When it starts to bubble and froth, add the flours and knead into a smooth dough. 

It’s quite a sticky dough but try not to add much more flour as you knead because you do want the buns to be soft and fluffy. Cover the dough with a clean damp cloth or plastic wrap. 

Set aside for 30-40 minutes to allow the dough to rise. Cover a pan with baking parchment and set aside, ready for the dough when it’s rolled out.

When the dough rises, cut it into four equal portions (about 70g each) and roll them each into a ball. 

On a lightly floured work surface, use a rolling pin to flatten each ball into an oval shape, about 4x7 in or 10x18cm.

Use the rolling pin to press the middle a little thinner then brush some oil on the flat dough. 

Transfer the dough ovals to the prepared tray. Continue until all the buns are shaped and ready to steam.

Cover with cling film and leave to rest for another 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare your steamer by adding water and bringing it to the boil. This is also an excellent time to crush your roasted peanuts and add the sugar. Stir to combine.

Use a sharp knife to cut the pork into thin slices.

Cut around the baking parchment with scissors to remove one bun at a time. 

 Place it in the steamer. 

Cook for 10 minutes or until the bun bounces back when you press on it lightly. 

Two caveats: 

1. Do not open the lid to check on the bun before 10 minutes or it will deflate and never puff back up. I made that mistake on the first bun and I am forever sad about it. 

2. Be careful not to drip water on the bun while removing the steamer lid. It’s not a huge deal but it will cause your bun to fall a bit where the water lands. Witness this photo. That little crater was from a drip of water. The bun was still fluffy so it's all good, but do try. 

Add more water to your steamer pot if necessary and continue until all four buns are steamed. When you remove them from the steamer, lay them on a towel to absorb any moisture.

 Fold them over gently so they are ready to fill. 

To assemble the tiger biting pig buns, put several slices of pork in each. Top with a small handful of chopped cilantro along with a couple of teaspoons of the peanuts and sugar.

Enjoy!

It’s the second Tuesday of the month which means that it’s time for my Bread Bakers group to share recipes. Our theme today is Chinese bread! Many thanks to our host Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm. 

• Chinese Buffet Style Donuts by Palatable Pastime
• Cocktail Buns by Zesty South Indian Kitchen 
• Jujube Mantou by A Messy Kitchen 
• Nai Nai's Pork Bao by Culinary Adventures with Camilla 
• Pan Fried Pork and Scallion Buns (Sheng Jian Bao) by Karen’s Kitchen Stories 
• Scallion Flatbread by A Day in the Life on the Farm 
• Tiger Biting Pig Buns - Lǎohǔ Yǎo Zhū Bāozi by Food Lust People Love 
• Vegan Scallion Pancakes (Cong You Bing) by Sneha's Recipe

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

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Hot and Sour Chicken Soup #FoodieExtravaganza

Hot and sour chicken soup is a restaurant favorite that is quick and easy to make at home. With bits of chicken breast and cubes of tofu, it’s high in protein with a comforting spicy and flavorful broth that will cure whatever ails you.

Aside from its healing properties, hot and sour chicken soup also brings back fun and fond memories for me.

Many years ago, my sister lived near a Chinese buffet restaurant we adored. It had The Best pork ribs and Sichuan green beans, my favorite things to eat there, but everything else was pretty tasty as well.

When my eldest nephew was old enough to eat real food, my sister would scoop the little cubes of tofu out of the hot and sour soup for him, blow on them to cool them off, then set them on his plate. It was a lot of fun watching him trying to pincer grasp the tofu with his plump baby hands and get it to his mouth. Considering how soft and slippery tofu can be, he did a great job. Those were good times.

This month, my Foodie Extravaganza group is making chicken soup in honor of National Chicken Soup for the Soul Day on November 12th. Make sure to scroll down past my recipe to see the rest.

Hot and Sour Chicken Soup

This version of hot and sour soup is adapted from two separate recipes from Ken Hom’s Foolproof Chinese Cookery and Joanne Chang’s Flour, Too. Both of these wonderful recipes use pork. I have used boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead.

Ingredients
2 small boneless chicken breasts (about 9 oz or 250g by weight)
2 tablespoons canola or other light oil
1 garlic clove, smashed and minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 chilli pepper, minced
2 tablespoons sliced onion tops (white part only – save green for garnish)
5 cups or 1.2L chicken stock
7 oz or 200 grams tofu (bean curd), medium firm
3 1/2 oz or 100g shiitake mushrooms
Salt

For the chicken marinade:
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon Shaoxing rice wine or substitute dry sherry
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
Pinch each of salt and sugar

For the egg mixture:
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
Pinch salt

Just before serving:
1/4 cup or 60ml Chinese black (mature) vinegar
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon chili bean sauce
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

For garnish:
Chopped cilantro
Sliced chilli peppers
Sliced green onion tops
Slivered ginger

Method
Combine your marinade ingredients in a small bowl.

Slice your chicken breasts very thinly and add them to the marinade. Mix well and set aside.

In a measuring cup with a spout, whisk the eggs with the sesame oil and the pinch of salt. You can use a bowl but the spout will making pouring the egg into the soup much easier. In another small bowl, mix together the vinegar, light soy, the dark soy, the chili bean sauce and the sesame oil. Set aside.

Clean and finely slice the shiitake mushrooms. Cut the tofu (aka bean curd) into 1/2 in or 1 cm cubes.

In a deep saucepan, heat the canola oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add the garlic, ginger and green onions and cook for a minute or two, stirring constantly. Be careful not the let the garlic color.

Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 2 more minutes.

Add the stock and bring the soup to a simmer.

Add the tofu and mushrooms and bring the soup back to a simmer over medium-high heat.

Now add the egg mixture in a very slow, thin and steady stream. Use a chopstick or a fork to pull the cooked egg slowly into strands.

Turn the fire off under the soup and stir in the vinegar mixture.

Serve each bowl garnished with cilantro, green onion tops, sliced red chili peppers and slivered ginger, as desired.

Enjoy! 

How will you celebrate National Chicken Soup for the Soul Day? Try one of our delicious recipes!

• Asian-Style Chicken Dumpling Soup from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Chicken Ramen Soup from Sneha's Recipe
• Cranberry Chicken Noodle Soup from Palatable Pastime
• Creamy Chicken Asparagus Soup from Hardly A Goddess
• Creamy Cranberry Chicken Wild Rice Soup from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Hot and Sour Chicken Soup from Food Lust People Love

Foodie Extravaganza celebrates obscure food holidays by posting delicious recipes your family will love. Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you're a home cook looking for tasty recipes, check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board!

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Moo Shu Pancakes #BreadBakers

Moo shu pancakes, aka Chinese pancakes or Peking doilies, are traditionally served rolled up with a filling of crispy Peking duck, cucumbers and spring onions. They are easy to make, with only two ingredients.

This month my Bread Bakers are celebrating pancakes of all sorts at the instigation of our host, Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm. Today is Mardi Gras – or Fat Tuesday – also known in many places around the world as Pancake Day.

In the United Kingdom, this refers to what we Americans know as crepes, a thin pancake made with batter. And, of course, most of my readers will be familiar with fluffy American pancakes, served with butter and maple syrup. But Wendy encouraged us to scour the world for pancake recipes so I chose to make moo shu pancakes, a favorite in Chinese cuisine.

When we lived in Kuala Lumpur many years ago, I used to make these to wrap store-bought roasted duck or char sui pork. They are so much better than the pancakes you can buy in the store. But if you follow me on Instagram, you might have noticed a couple of hanging ducks in my feed in the last few months. We finally made Peking ducks ourselves, first as a trial run and then as the main course of our Christmas dinner. I even made my own chili plum sauce. It is so much better than the sickly sweet stuff you can buy in a store.

I’ll put a few photos in the instructions to help you with the method of making moo shu pancakes, but I highly encourage you to check out Ken Hom’s how-to video on YouTube as well. He is a master.

And if you are already a Ken Hom fan, you might want to try my version of his spicy Sichuan noodles. For even more pancakes, including my crunchy spring onion version, check out this post and make sure to scroll down to see what my Bread Bakers are sharing today.

Moo Shu Pancakes

Easy to make and even easier to eat, moo shu pancakes are great with all sorts of fillings.

Ingredients for 16-18 pancakes
2 cups or 250g  all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading and rolling 
3/4 - 1 cup or 180-240ml very hot water     
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil   

Method
Measure your flour into a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Pour in 3/4 cup or 180ml of the hot water and stir the flour into the water until it is completely incorporated. If it is too dry, add a little more water.

Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it for about 8 minutes, sprinkling with a little more flour as necessary. When you have a nice stretchy ball, put it back in the bowl and cover the bowl with a clean, damp cloth. Leave the dough to rest for about half an hour, or pop it in the refrigerator till you are ready to cook the pancakes.

After the resting time, roll the dough out into a long tube, about 1 inch or 2.5cm in diameter. Cut it with a sharp knife into about 16-18 equal pieces. You need an even number. Roll the pieces into balls and set aside.

Sprinkle your working surface with a little flour and put your sesame oil in a small bowl. Press one ball down to flatten it slightly. Dip another ball into the sesame oil and place it on top of the first ball.  Press down again to flatten the top ball.

Use a floured rolling pin to roll the two balls into circles about 6 in or 15cm wide. Repeat the process until you have rolled all of the twin sets of balls into circles.

Heat a dry griddle pan or non-stick skillet over a medium heat and cook the moo shu pancakes one or two at a time, depending on the size of your pan. This takes just a few minutes on each side and a few brown spots are desirable.

As each pancake is done, remove it from the pan and allow to rest briefly, until it’s cool enough to handle. Carefully peel the two pancakes apart and put them in a warm place, covered with a slightly damp cloth. This will keep them from drying out as you cook the rest.

These can be served with Peking duck, char sui pork, pan-fried duck breasts or frankly, anywhere you’d also use a flour tortilla. I even ate a couple with golden syrup. Any leftovers, should you be so lucky, can be wrapped tightly in cling film and frozen.

Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for hosting this month. Make sure you check out all the other lovely pancakes my Bread Bakers are sharing today!

• Aebleskivers by All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Apam Balik by I Camp in My Kitchen
• Blueberry Lemon Dutch Baby Pancake by Spill the Spices
• Brazilian Tapioca Pancakes by Herbivore Cucina
• Chocolate Buckwheat Pancakes by Ambrosia
• Eggless Chocolate Chip Pancake by Seduce Your Tastebuds
• German Pancake with Easy Fruit Compote by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Gluten Free Aebleskiver by Gayathri's Cook Spot
• Hoppers by Mayuri’s Jikoni
• Hotteok by Sara's Tasty Buds
• Instant Multigrain Dosa by Sizzling Tastebuds
• Japanese Pancakes by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Kuih Dadar - Bujang Dalam Selimut - Asian Stuffed Pandan Pancakes by The Schizo Chef
• Moo Shu Pancakes by Food Lust People Love
• Soft and Spongy Poha Dosas by Sneha's Recipe
• Swedish Pancakes by Hostess At Heart
• Syrniki by The Mad Scientist's Kitchen
• Vegan Red Velvet Pancakes by Cook’s Hideout

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Pin it!

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