mmcphee's Full Review: Dynasty Chinese Five Spice Powder
One of my children's favorite meals is Seven Spice Beef. They request it regularly and even eat the vegetables that get cooked with it. I am happy to oblige with this quick weeknight meal that requires Chinese five spice powder. When I ran out recently, I purchased a new bottle that wasn't my usual brand, Sun Luck. I figured it didn't matter so I bought Dynasty Chinese Five Spice Powder.
Who's Buried in Grant's Tomb? So how many spices are in five spice powder? Think it's a trick question? Dynasty Chinese Five Spice Powder contains eight: cinnamon, star anise, fennel, cloves, ginger, licorice, szechuan peppercorn, and white pepper. The 2 oz of finely ground brown spice mixture comes in a small glass jar for about $4.
Our Experience I hardly glanced at the jar as I prepared the first dinner of Seven Spice Beef after buying Dynasty Chinese Five Spice Powder. I followed my regular recipe and at the first bite all of my children complained that it was too spicy. Now that might sound strange considering the name of the dish, but the spices give the dish a sweet earthy flavor rather than savory or hot. The only heat that I add to the dish is some black pepper and some mild chili powder. It wasn't until I really looked at the jar of Dynasty Chinese Five Spice Powder that I realized that some pepper was added into the blend, something not in our usual brand. The dish ended up with more pepper than I intended. My kids ate it that night, and the next time I made the dish I didn't include any additional pepper which made my kids happier although they thought it tasted different.
My husband and I thought the dish tasted good with the extra pepper, but pepper is always something we can add after cooking. When possible, especially when adding spices, I try to cook to my children's preferences. The spices were a nice blend with a heavy licorice flavor from the star anis, fennel and licorice plus a warm holiday flavor from the ginger, cinnamon and cloves. The peppers added a nice amount of spice but, at least to our grown-up taste buds, doesn't overwhelm the mix with heat.
As a minor complaint I was frustrated with the opening for the jar. It was too small to fit in the teaspoon from my favorite set of measuring spoons. While this is a dish I usually make by eye, with the added in the Dynasty Chinese Five Spice Powder pepper I decided to measure instead. It was frustrating to try and pour the loose powder out of the jar and onto the measuring spoon and then get the inevitable spillage back into the jar.
Final Thoughts I never would have imagined that there were differences in Chinese Five Spice Powder but it seems that every brand has a slightly different bland of spices. Dynasty Chinese Five Spice Powder wasn't bad; it just wasn't what my family is used to. We definitely prefer a brand without added pepper. This was a good but hotter blend than we normally use but I think we will go back to Sun Luck as we all seem happy with it.
1 lb sirloin steak, thinly sliced
1 large red pepper cut into 1” squares
1 onion cut into chunks
1 (10 oz bag) baby spinach
1 t oil for stir-frying
Marinade Sauce:
3 T hoisin sauce
1 T sugar
1 T honey
1 t sesame oil
1 t oyster sauce
1 t each cumin powder, black pepper, five-spice powder, nutmeg, coriander and chili powder
Combine all marinade ingredients and add beef. Let marinate while you chop the vegetables. Heat 1 t oil in a wok or large pan. Add beef and cook for about 2 minutes, add onions and peppers and stir fry until slightly softened and beef is cooked to desired doneness. Add spinach and stir fry until spinach is wilted about 1 minute
Notes:
Serves four and takes about 20 minutes total including prep time.
The beef is easier to slice thinly if it is still slightly frozen.
We like Whole Foods 365 Organic best for this recipe because it is thinner than most other hoisin sauces and makes a better marinade, but any works just fine in the recipe.
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