Thank you for purchasing the China spice collection, one of our collaborations with the Spice House! Now it's time to get cooking. Here are some of our favorite ways to use these blends.
ATK x The Spice House: China Collection
You've got the spices. We've got the recipe inspiration.
Published June 1, 2022.
Bay Leaves
Bay leaves make for inspired sauces, stews, soups, and curries. They have a floral and herbal scent reminiscent of oregano and thyme and are used more often than any other herb.
Chili oil gives many Sichuan dishes their distinctive spicy and numbing flavor. Blooming the aromatics (including bay leaves) in vegetable oil brought out their flavor and built a pungent base for this version.
Sichuan Peppercorns
Sichuan peppercorns are full of surprises. They're actually seed husks, not peppercorns. They're fragrant and lemony, not purely spicy. They have a numbing effect on the lips and tongue, which opens the taste buds to other sensations.
SKILLET-CHARRED GREEN BEANS WITH CRISPY SESAME TOPPING
We topped these charred green beans with sesame seeds and toasted panko bread crumbs that we'd seasoned with Sichuan peppercorns, sesame oil, and orange.
These noodles are rich with chili oil but have a tempered spiciness that's enhanced and balanced with scallion, notes of toasted sesame, meaty soy sauce, bright vinegar, and pleasantly numbing Sichuan peppercorns.
Ground White Pepper
White peppercorns are the same vine-fruits as black ones. After harvesting, however, they are soaked in water to remove their outer skin, giving them a slightly fermented taste prized by Japanese cooks. White ground pepper adds heat without changing the appearance of a dish.
CHINESE-STYLE BARBECUED SPARERIBS
White pepper contributes to the salty-sweet flavor of these deeply seasoned meat ribs.
LION'S HEAD MEATBALLS (Shīzi Tóu)
These giant, savory, tender-yet-springy pork meatballs from eastern China are pure comfort food.
Whole Star Anise
Star anise is licorice-y with herbal, lemony, and woody notes. It works well in foods both sweet and savory, from phở and Taiwanese beef noodle soup to poached pears and custards. It’s an essential element of five-spice powder.
VIETNAMESE-STYLE BEEF NOODLE SOUP
The base of this flavorful Vietnamese-inspired soup uses canned chicken broth and traditional Vietnamese ingredients such as ginger, garlic, fish sauce, and star anise.
FLAT HAND-PULLED NOODLES (Biang Biang Mian) WITH CHILI OIL VINAIGRETTE
Biang Biang noodles are a popular dish from the Shaanxi province of China. Here we dress the noodles simply in a Sichuan-inspired chili oil vinaigrette featuring warm spices such as star anise.
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