I. Understanding Spices
1. Turmeric and mustard can give food a yellow color; red chili peppers and saffron can give oils or other foods a red color; black pepper can give soups a black color, white pepper can give food a white color, and star anise and Sichuan pepper can give food a brown color.
2. Adding cardamom to the base of a hot pot can enhance the spicy and fragrant flavor.
3. Douchi can add a salty, fresh, and rich flavor to the hot pot soup base.
4. Rock sugar can alleviate the spiciness and irritation.
5. Do not add cinnamon and cloves to soup with ham.
6. Bay leaves and chicken essence are a perfect match.
7. The composition of spices: Spices are composed of main fragrances, blending fragrances, correcting fragrances, and fixatives.
(1) Main fragrances: They are the absolutely necessary components that give characteristic aromas, forming the skeletal structure of the target aroma and the main body and outline of the fragrance.
(2) Blending fragrances: They have a harmonizing effect, expanding the depth and breadth of the aroma, making it more intense, and adjusting the aroma to be elegant, refreshing, strong, gentle, sweet, or rich.
(3) Correcting fragrances: They are subtle fragrant components that work effectively in small amounts, buffering and rounding out the main aroma, making it more delightful.
(4) Fixatives: They bind various aroma components closely together, providing a certain retention, and maintaining a uniform evaporation rate.
II. Steps for Food Flavoring
1). Determine the desired fragrance type as the goal;
2). Select the appropriate raw materials that match the fragrance type;
3). Mix the individual raw materials in a certain proportion to create the main fragrance compound;
4). Once the main fragrance meets the requirements, add the individual raw materials for the top note;
5). Add the blending agent and corrective agent to make the fragrance rich and pleasant;
6). Add the fixative to maintain the diffusion and persistence of the fragrance;
7). Let it stand for a period of time for maturation!
III. Related Taboos
1). Things have mutual generation and restraint. Do not add star anise to beef, as it will increase the smell of urine. Just add a little cooking wine.
2). Sage and cloves, thyme and cloves have an additive effect in suppressing odor. Sage and thyme, garlic and celery will weaken the odor-suppressing effect.
3). The order of good odor-suppressing effects for beef is: garlic, onion, cloves, coriander, etc.; for mutton: sage, thyme, cloves, coriander, etc.; for fish: pepper, garlic, ginger, nutmeg; for pork: sage, nutmeg, etc.
4). The order of good flavoring effects for beef is: pepper, cloves, ginger, garlic, cinnamon, onion, coriander, etc.; for pork: nutmeg, sage, scallion, bay leaf, cloves, garlic, etc.; for mutton: pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, coriander, cloves, etc.; for fish: ginger, garlic, onion, pepper, dried tangerine peel, nutmeg, coriander, etc. The main flavoring spices can account for 40% to 50% of the total amount of spices.
5). Excessive use of nutmeg will produce astringent and bitter taste; excessive use of bay leaf will also be bitter; excessive use of coriander will have a cosmetic smell; excessive use of celery, thyme, and mustard will have a medicinal smell.
IV. Commonly Used Aromatic Spices (16 Kinds)
A: Bay leaves, star anise, fennel seeds, anise, cardamom, cardamom, cloves, star anise, cinnamon, dried tangerine peel, costus root, cinnamon twigs, five-flavor bark, thousand-year-old fragrance, cardamom, lemongrass
B: Remove gamey and strange odors (6 types): Angelica dahurica, cardamom, citron peel, saffron, Notopterygium incisum, Zingiber officinale
C: Remove earthy smell (4 types): Red cardamom, white cardamom, hawthorn, peach
D: Substitute for sugar (1 type): Licorice
E: Create aftertaste (2 types): Bupleurum, Angelica sinensis
F: Add red color (2 types): Red gardenia, red yeast rice, caramel color (hot pot does not use these, all use chili to enhance color)
G: Add original color and black color (2 types): Add more cloves
Appendix: Tips for Using Related Condiments and Spices
Soy sauce is the most commonly used condiment in our daily life. It is essential for making braised dishes, cold dishes, and many other types of food. Soy sauce can be mainly classified into two categories: brewed soy sauce and blended soy sauce. Brewed soy sauce is made through microbial fermentation and has no toxic side effects. It has a rich aroma and a strong flavor. Brewed soy sauce can be further divided into light soy sauce and dark soy sauce. There is a common saying in cooking: use light soy sauce for stir-frying and dark soy sauce for coloring. Different types of soy sauce are used for different cuisines and flavors.
Light soy sauce - It has a lighter color and a milder flavor, and is more refreshing. It is mainly used for seasoning and stir-frying. Dishes made with light soy sauce taste fresh and delicious.
Light soy sauce can also be classified into table soy sauce, low-salt soy sauce, and fragrant soy sauce. These are mainly used for cold dishes and have a colony count of no more than 30,000 per milliliter. They are safe for dipping and cold dishes.
Dark soy sauce - It has a darker color and a stronger flavor, but less freshness. It is suitable for braised pork, braised dishes, and marinated meats. It gives the dishes a rich color and a strong aroma.
There are many types of soy sauce for braising, such as soy sauce made from yellow beans, braising soy sauce, restaurant soy sauce, fragrant soy sauce, and marinade soy sauce. These are all used for coloring and braising meats.
There are also types of soy sauce for enhancing the flavor, such as light soy sauce, premium light soy sauce, steamed fish soy sauce, and oyster sauce. These are used for stir-frying and steaming fish to enhance the freshness. Among them, oyster sauce is most commonly used in Cantonese cuisine.
Soy sauce is prone to mold, so it should be stored in a sealed container at a low temperature in summer. Moldy and spoiled soy sauce should not be consumed. It was once reported that the low incidence of stomach cancer in Japan was due to the frequent consumption of soy sauce. Later, a research report from the University of Wisconsin confirmed this claim. It is best to have light soy sauce for stir-frying, dark soy sauce for braising, and light soy sauce for cold dishes at home.
Star anise (also known as Chinese star anise or Chinese anise) is widely used in cooking, especially for boiling, braising, stewing, and roasting various meats. It can remove the fishy and gamey odors of meats and add a fragrant aroma, as well as enhance the flavor and stimulate appetite. It is essential for making braised pork, chicken, and beef, as well as other braised meat dishes. The recommended amount of star anise is 2 to 3 pieces. Star anise has four main functions: enhancing the aroma of dishes, aiding digestion, removing dampness, and detoxifying alcohol.
Sichuan pepper is the most commonly used condiment in spicy and hot dishes. It is often used in making marinades, pickled foods, and braised meats, as well as in making hot pot bases. It has the effect of removing the gamey smell and enhancing the flavor. It is also one of the ingredients of five-spice powder.
1. Adding Sichuan pepper when stir-frying can warm the body, drive out cold, and boost immunity.
2. When frying Sichuan pepper oil, the oil temperature should not be too high.
3. When stir-frying, add a few Sichuan pepper grains to the hot oil in the pan. Once they turn black, remove them and use the oil to stir-fry the vegetables. The dish will be fragrant.
4. Heat Sichuan pepper, vegetable oil, and soy sauce together and pour it over cold dishes for a refreshing taste.
5. Add Sichuan pepper when pickling shredded radish for an excellent flavor.
Cardamom, also known as nutmeg, has many names such as nutmeg, cardamom, and top nutmeg. The volatile oil in cardamom can promote the secretion of gastric juice and intestinal peristalsis in small amounts, thus having the effects of stimulating appetite, relieving bloating and pain. As a seasoning, it can remove odors and add a spicy aroma, and warm the stomach and spleen. It is used in braising, stewing, and marinating various meats.
Cumin can be eaten raw or cooked. Generally, the fragrant cooked cumin is suitable for dipping, while raw cumin is better for stir-frying and grilling to avoid the loss of aroma due to repeated high temperatures. Cumin is not only used in grilled meat but also in the original Xinjiang pilaf. People in Xinjiang love to add cumin when cooking. It can be added to stir-fried shredded potatoes, green peppers, tofu and other vegetarian dishes. When cooking, you can use whole cumin seeds, or grind them into a mixture of half whole and half crushed, or directly buy cumin powder. Before eating, the whole cumin seeds should be cleaned of impurities and washed repeatedly with clean water, then dried or baked. When storing, it should be sealed in a bottle or jar to prevent the aroma from dissipating over time. When frying bread slices or various fish such as mackerel, adding a little cumin powder will make the aroma rich. When cooking beef and mutton with cumin, it can remove the fishy smell and greasiness, and make the meat more delicious and fragrant, increasing appetite. Cumin is usually included in the base ingredients of hot pot to enhance the aroma. People with cold stomach can add a little cumin when stir-frying or grilling meat to dispel the cold in the stomach. Using cumin to season dishes can also prevent spoilage and kill bacteria.
1. Turmeric and mustard can give food a yellow color; red chili peppers and saffron can give oils or other foods a red color; black pepper can give soups a black color, white pepper can give food a white color, and star anise and Sichuan pepper can give food a brown color.
2. Adding cardamom to the base of a hot pot can enhance the spicy and fragrant flavor.
3. Douchi can add a salty, fresh, and rich flavor to the hot pot soup base.
4. Rock sugar can alleviate the spiciness and irritation.
5. Do not add cinnamon and cloves to soup with ham.
6. Bay leaves and chicken essence are a perfect match.
7. The composition of spices: Spices are composed of main fragrances, blending fragrances, correcting fragrances, and fixatives.
(1) Main fragrances: They are the absolutely necessary components that give characteristic aromas, forming the skeletal structure of the target aroma and the main body and outline of the fragrance.
(2) Blending fragrances: They have a harmonizing effect, expanding the depth and breadth of the aroma, making it more intense, and adjusting the aroma to be elegant, refreshing, strong, gentle, sweet, or rich.
(3) Correcting fragrances: They are subtle fragrant components that work effectively in small amounts, buffering and rounding out the main aroma, making it more delightful.
(4) Fixatives: They bind various aroma components closely together, providing a certain retention, and maintaining a uniform evaporation rate.
II. Steps for Food Flavoring
1). Determine the desired fragrance type as the goal;
2). Select the appropriate raw materials that match the fragrance type;
3). Mix the individual raw materials in a certain proportion to create the main fragrance compound;
4). Once the main fragrance meets the requirements, add the individual raw materials for the top note;
5). Add the blending agent and corrective agent to make the fragrance rich and pleasant;
6). Add the fixative to maintain the diffusion and persistence of the fragrance;
7). Let it stand for a period of time for maturation!
III. Related Taboos
1). Things have mutual generation and restraint. Do not add star anise to beef, as it will increase the smell of urine. Just add a little cooking wine.
2). Sage and cloves, thyme and cloves have an additive effect in suppressing odor. Sage and thyme, garlic and celery will weaken the odor-suppressing effect.
3). The order of good odor-suppressing effects for beef is: garlic, onion, cloves, coriander, etc.; for mutton: sage, thyme, cloves, coriander, etc.; for fish: pepper, garlic, ginger, nutmeg; for pork: sage, nutmeg, etc.
4). The order of good flavoring effects for beef is: pepper, cloves, ginger, garlic, cinnamon, onion, coriander, etc.; for pork: nutmeg, sage, scallion, bay leaf, cloves, garlic, etc.; for mutton: pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, coriander, cloves, etc.; for fish: ginger, garlic, onion, pepper, dried tangerine peel, nutmeg, coriander, etc. The main flavoring spices can account for 40% to 50% of the total amount of spices.
5). Excessive use of nutmeg will produce astringent and bitter taste; excessive use of bay leaf will also be bitter; excessive use of coriander will have a cosmetic smell; excessive use of celery, thyme, and mustard will have a medicinal smell.
IV. Commonly Used Aromatic Spices (16 Kinds)
A: Bay leaves, star anise, fennel seeds, anise, cardamom, cardamom, cloves, star anise, cinnamon, dried tangerine peel, costus root, cinnamon twigs, five-flavor bark, thousand-year-old fragrance, cardamom, lemongrass
B: Remove gamey and strange odors (6 types): Angelica dahurica, cardamom, citron peel, saffron, Notopterygium incisum, Zingiber officinale
C: Remove earthy smell (4 types): Red cardamom, white cardamom, hawthorn, peach
D: Substitute for sugar (1 type): Licorice
E: Create aftertaste (2 types): Bupleurum, Angelica sinensis
F: Add red color (2 types): Red gardenia, red yeast rice, caramel color (hot pot does not use these, all use chili to enhance color)
G: Add original color and black color (2 types): Add more cloves
Appendix: Tips for Using Related Condiments and Spices
Soy sauce is the most commonly used condiment in our daily life. It is essential for making braised dishes, cold dishes, and many other types of food. Soy sauce can be mainly classified into two categories: brewed soy sauce and blended soy sauce. Brewed soy sauce is made through microbial fermentation and has no toxic side effects. It has a rich aroma and a strong flavor. Brewed soy sauce can be further divided into light soy sauce and dark soy sauce. There is a common saying in cooking: use light soy sauce for stir-frying and dark soy sauce for coloring. Different types of soy sauce are used for different cuisines and flavors.
Light soy sauce - It has a lighter color and a milder flavor, and is more refreshing. It is mainly used for seasoning and stir-frying. Dishes made with light soy sauce taste fresh and delicious.
Light soy sauce can also be classified into table soy sauce, low-salt soy sauce, and fragrant soy sauce. These are mainly used for cold dishes and have a colony count of no more than 30,000 per milliliter. They are safe for dipping and cold dishes.
Dark soy sauce - It has a darker color and a stronger flavor, but less freshness. It is suitable for braised pork, braised dishes, and marinated meats. It gives the dishes a rich color and a strong aroma.
There are many types of soy sauce for braising, such as soy sauce made from yellow beans, braising soy sauce, restaurant soy sauce, fragrant soy sauce, and marinade soy sauce. These are all used for coloring and braising meats.
There are also types of soy sauce for enhancing the flavor, such as light soy sauce, premium light soy sauce, steamed fish soy sauce, and oyster sauce. These are used for stir-frying and steaming fish to enhance the freshness. Among them, oyster sauce is most commonly used in Cantonese cuisine.
Soy sauce is prone to mold, so it should be stored in a sealed container at a low temperature in summer. Moldy and spoiled soy sauce should not be consumed. It was once reported that the low incidence of stomach cancer in Japan was due to the frequent consumption of soy sauce. Later, a research report from the University of Wisconsin confirmed this claim. It is best to have light soy sauce for stir-frying, dark soy sauce for braising, and light soy sauce for cold dishes at home.
Star anise (also known as Chinese star anise or Chinese anise) is widely used in cooking, especially for boiling, braising, stewing, and roasting various meats. It can remove the fishy and gamey odors of meats and add a fragrant aroma, as well as enhance the flavor and stimulate appetite. It is essential for making braised pork, chicken, and beef, as well as other braised meat dishes. The recommended amount of star anise is 2 to 3 pieces. Star anise has four main functions: enhancing the aroma of dishes, aiding digestion, removing dampness, and detoxifying alcohol.
Sichuan pepper is the most commonly used condiment in spicy and hot dishes. It is often used in making marinades, pickled foods, and braised meats, as well as in making hot pot bases. It has the effect of removing the gamey smell and enhancing the flavor. It is also one of the ingredients of five-spice powder.
1. Adding Sichuan pepper when stir-frying can warm the body, drive out cold, and boost immunity.
2. When frying Sichuan pepper oil, the oil temperature should not be too high.
3. When stir-frying, add a few Sichuan pepper grains to the hot oil in the pan. Once they turn black, remove them and use the oil to stir-fry the vegetables. The dish will be fragrant.
4. Heat Sichuan pepper, vegetable oil, and soy sauce together and pour it over cold dishes for a refreshing taste.
5. Add Sichuan pepper when pickling shredded radish for an excellent flavor.
Cardamom, also known as nutmeg, has many names such as nutmeg, cardamom, and top nutmeg. The volatile oil in cardamom can promote the secretion of gastric juice and intestinal peristalsis in small amounts, thus having the effects of stimulating appetite, relieving bloating and pain. As a seasoning, it can remove odors and add a spicy aroma, and warm the stomach and spleen. It is used in braising, stewing, and marinating various meats.
Cumin can be eaten raw or cooked. Generally, the fragrant cooked cumin is suitable for dipping, while raw cumin is better for stir-frying and grilling to avoid the loss of aroma due to repeated high temperatures. Cumin is not only used in grilled meat but also in the original Xinjiang pilaf. People in Xinjiang love to add cumin when cooking. It can be added to stir-fried shredded potatoes, green peppers, tofu and other vegetarian dishes. When cooking, you can use whole cumin seeds, or grind them into a mixture of half whole and half crushed, or directly buy cumin powder. Before eating, the whole cumin seeds should be cleaned of impurities and washed repeatedly with clean water, then dried or baked. When storing, it should be sealed in a bottle or jar to prevent the aroma from dissipating over time. When frying bread slices or various fish such as mackerel, adding a little cumin powder will make the aroma rich. When cooking beef and mutton with cumin, it can remove the fishy smell and greasiness, and make the meat more delicious and fragrant, increasing appetite. Cumin is usually included in the base ingredients of hot pot to enhance the aroma. People with cold stomach can add a little cumin when stir-frying or grilling meat to dispel the cold in the stomach. Using cumin to season dishes can also prevent spoilage and kill bacteria.
