The Science of Spice

60 World of Spice

LOCAL SPICE BLEND

Five-spice powder

Yes, you can buy this in any

supermarket, but homemade

is truly a million times

better. Use as a rub for

roasting meats, or add

to stir-fries and stews.

2 star anise

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp cloves

5cm (2in) cinnamon stick

1 tbsp whole Sichuan pepper

Simply grind all the spices to

a fine powder, sieving out any

fibres if necessary.

Signature

Garlic, ginger, chilli, sesame

South China’s signature

spices intensify and

enhance the techniques

that are geared towards

preserving the flavour,

colour, and texture of the

main ingredients.

Supporting

Black pepper, shajiang,

five-spice powder

Woody black pepper

and camphorous shajiang

powder add a kick to many

dishes, while five-spice is

used to enhance sweetness

and fragrance.

Supplementary

White pepper, liquorice

Liquorice root replaces

five-spice where a more

lingering, bitter, aniseed

flavour is desired. In Taiwan,

white pepper is often

partnered with pork belly.

SOUTH CHINA

Sour | Aromatic | Sweet

If there’s one Chinese cuisine that has travelled

throughout the world, it’s the Cantonese food from

Guangdong, the most southerly of the country’s

eight great food traditions. Thanks to extensive

emigration from this largely coastal region, cooking

techniques such as steaming and stir-frying travelled

the world. Simple condiments and spicing – light soy

sauce, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil – dominate in

Canton cooking, but other parts of south China’s

cuisines, notably Hunan, Fujian, and Taiwan, offer

more intense flavours – spicy, sour, sweet, and bitter –

via techniques such as drying and preserving and

a wider use of spices.

SPICE

PALETTE

Prawn stir-fry

flavoured with

five-spice,

see p213.

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060-061_South_China_West_China.indd 60 04/06/2018 15:46