Star anise ground Illicium verum
- Star anise ground is an essential condiment in the Chinese cuisine
- widespread spice in South East Asia
- licorice flavor ideal for pork and chicken
- leek, pumpkin, fish, and shrimps
What is star anise ground?
Star anise ground are the parts of the broken fruit that they can't sell as a whole spice anymore. The fruit comes from a medium-sized evergreen the Illicium verum. The spice powder has a reddish-brown color.
Culinary use of badian ground
The Asian cuisine uses star anise powder to give the dishes a distinctive and decidedly peculiar licorice flavor. Particularly in the East, star anise is used in pork preparations and with chicken meat.
But the possible pairings are endless. When you cook duck, beef, or eggs, you may use star anise. You can use it to flavor fish, shrimps, vegetables like leeks, pumpkin, or tomatoes. In bakeries, they use it to flavor over-the-counter biscuits and sweets. Chinese cuisine uses it in marinades with soy sauce.
Besides, you use star anise flavor teas, infusions, jams, fruit compotes, and fine liqueurs. In Italy, various liqueur use this spice. Please add only a small amount of this powerful spice. It only takes a few grams to get a strong taste.
Good to know about Star anise
This spice is a fundamental component in the preparation of spice mixes. We find it in the famous Chinese five-spice powder.
Please try to use this aromatic spice in your daily cooking and not only for the Christmas bakery and Glühwein. Chinese cuisine uses star anise in their curry varieties and broths.
Star anise harmonizes very well with cinnamon powder Ceylon, vanilla, tonka beans, licorice, anise, and fennel. Please try for yourself and refine your Pasta Tomato sauce with star anise.
Virtues in popular medicine
From the macro nutrients point of view, this spice is a source of carbohydrates, but it also contains different proteins. Star anise powder is a fat-free spice, provides vitamin C, calcium, and iron. Among the various compounds, linalool is the molecule responsible for much of the typical aroma of star anise. Linalool has antioxidant properties and helps the body combat oxidative stress.
Star anise is a useful remedy to stay young and to prevent stress-related diseases. On the other hand, its chemical acid is the active ingredient in medications to fight flu. This molecule, along with vitamin C, is allied to the immune system. Other properties attributed to star anise range from carminatives against aerophagy, and colic. The spice promotes digestion and stimulates appetite. For all these reasons, consumption could help combat abdominal pain, flatulence, rheumatism, and stomach discomfort. In other words, it works against all kinds of inflammation.
How to store star anise in powder?
After using it, we recommend that you store the star anise powder in airtight containers, well-closed so that it keeps its fragrance intact over the months.
