What’s Cooking in Kelli’s Kitchen: Star Anise - Spice of the Month

Our Churchill County Library Spice of the Month hails from Southeast Asian cuisine. While not a “spicy” spice, star anise is distinguished in many spicy masala blends. It is a “royal” spice, used to elevate cuisine and saved for special occasions. With its unique eight-point star shape, star anise is perhaps the most unique and beautiful spice we have ever shared. Pictured right: Star anise fruits and seeds. Photo courtesy Wikipedia.

Star anise is the dried fruit of the illicium verum plant, a small evergreen tree native to Southern Asia. While China is the leading spice producer, it is cultivated commercially throughout the region. Star anise is available whole or ground, with different applications in regional cuisine based on its form. Ground anise is predominantly used in spice mixes like garam masala, chai, and Chinese five-spice; whole star anise is added to dishes as a flavoring ingredient and removed before serving.

The star anise featured in the Churchill County Library Spice Club for July is harvested by hand in the mountains near the border between Vietnam and China. Star anise is harvested in the winter, and the cool weather necessitates that the fruits are dried on racks near a wood fire, where they absorb a hint of smokiness. Before using star anise in a recipe, I recommend separating a single petal from a pod and tasting it on its own. This will allow you to experience the flavor nuances and help you understand what the spice brings to a dish. Star anise pods can be tossed into a pot of rice or steeped with cinnamon for a restorative brew.

Pho-style Stock

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 t dried ginger or a 3” piece of fresh ginger cut into thin slices
• 1 large onion, quartered
• 1 chicken carcass or 1-gallon bag of vegetable clippings
• 8 cups water
• 2 smoked star anise pods
• 2 cardamom pods
• 1 quill cinnamon
• 4 cloves
• 1 T coriander seeds
• 1 t whole black peppercorns
• 1 T cane sugar
• 2 t soy sauce or tamari
• 1 t unseasoned rice vinegar
• Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Broil whole ginger and onion in the oven or on the grill until charred. If you are using dried ginger, add it in the next step.
2. In a stock pot, toast the dry spices until fragrant.
3. Add the charred ginger, onion, vegetable clippings, or chicken carcass to pot and cover with water.
4. Cook on medium-high until the broth starts to simmer. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 30 minutes (if using only vegetables) or 2 hours (if using poultry). Make sure to skim off any scum that rises to the top.
5. Strain and discard all of the solids. Return hot broth to the stock pot.
6. Stir in sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and season to taste with salt. Use your favorite pho ingredients (veggies, noodles, meat, etc.) immediately or store in refrigerator or freezer until ready to use.

Kaffir Lime, Ginger, Star Anise Sorbet Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 ½ c coconut water
• 12 makrut lime leaves (check the international market), slightly bruised
• 2 star anise pods
• 1 T ginger, grated
• 3 T lime juice
• 1 c sugar

DIRECTIONS:

1. Put the coconut water, lime leaves, and a tiny pinch of salt into a saucepan and bring to a bare simmer over medium heat. The longer you take to reach a simmer, the more flavors will be extracted.
2. When the pot starts to bubble, and the leaves turn dull green, remove it from the heat and strain. Stir in the sugar until dissolved, add the star anise.
3. Let the anise steep in the pot for 10-20 minutes, then remove the anise pods.
4. Transfer the pot to an ice water bath, then chill the liquid in the refrigerator.
5. Once completely cold, stir in the ginger and 2 T lime juice. Taste the mixture and add more lime juice to reach your preferred tartness. Transfer the mix to an ice cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
6. When ready to serve, transfer the sorbet from the freezer into the refrigerator for a few hours to let it soften. Scoop and serve topped with lime zest or tapioca pearls.

Kelli Kelly, Slinger of Produce.
Slurper of Dumplings.
Person of the Bean.