Star Anise is a spice used in Indian, Vietnamese, and Chinese cuisines. It is also used in French mulled wine and can be steeped in coffee to enrich the flavor. The primary use of this sweet, licorice-flavored spice is to enhance the flavor of meat. It is also one of the five ingredients in the famous Chinese Five-Spice seasoning blend. We use the spice in many of our recipes on My Chinese Home Kitchen. Kou Rou gets part of its distinctive flavor from being simmered with star anise.
The star-shaped fruit of an evergreen shrub, it is picked just before ripening. The Mala Market imports their star anise from growers in southwest China, and I order from them.
Star anise in Kou Rou, one of my favorites
I have always been a fan of bacon, but I now use a lot of Kou Rou. I eat it steamed with rice, browned and used in Fujian salted rice and fried noodles, and I have used it with fried rice. Here in central Texas, a trip to a good grocery store is an 80-mile round trip. (Thank God for 70 mph speed limits!) Whenever I go grocery shopping, I buy pork belly in five pound slaps, and I use at least half for Kou Rou, which I keep in the refrigerator to use like bacon. When I am pressed for time for lunch, I will slice some pieces of Kou Rou, lightly season them with dark soy sauce, and steam them in a double-boiler to serve over white rice. So, I am also sure to keep a few packages of star anise in my pantry.
Medicinal uses
Chinese herbal medicine uses star anise to treat many ailments, from the flu to menstrual cramps. According to Web MD, there is insufficient evidence to support these claims. However, until 2012, Roche Pharmaceutical used star anise to produce shikimic acid, a precursor in their flu medication called Tamiflu.
My Chinese Home Kitchen does not make any medical claims or endorse any such uses. If you do choose star anise as a supplement, be sure you are using the Chinese variety. There is a Japanese variety, which is indistinguishable in appearance, but is highly toxic. There is also a variety, called swamp star anise, found in the southeastern United States, which is also toxic.
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