Chinese 5 spice:

This potent powder blend creates a harmonious balance in the yin and yang of food. Chinese-five-spice encompasses all five flavours of Chinese cuisine: sweet, sour, bitter, spicy and salty. The blend excites the palate with a zesty, tingly taste of Sichuan pepper and a sweet and pungent flavour of star anise. Other ingredients include Szechuan pepper, star anise, ground cinnamon, fennel and cloves. You might experience a little lip tingling and different mouth sensations while eating a five-spice beef brisket. Keep the fragrant mix on hand for seared chicken, mushroom rice, chicken and vegetable spring rolls, rhubarb tarts or for a pear and ginger gluten-free crumble. Chinese-five-spice adds a subtle sweetness to pumpkin salad and lentil dishes. The exotic powder enriches the flavour of rubs, marinades, noodle and braised dishes, inducing instant hunger pangs. Pungent spices used in the mélange will create coffee with a kick and liven up the taste of a cake frosting. The five spices have positive benefits for the liver and spleen and are especially good for people who suffer from fatigue and chronic pain. The blend soothes digestion and regulates blood sugar levels. Don’t be surprised if the magic spice mix infuses new life into you. You may even begin to smile at strangers, and this could be the start of something big!