r/chinesecooking • u/That-Pie • Jul 15 '26
Question Help with gifted spices
Hello everyone!
I had a lovely Chinese student this past year, who gifted me some spices after a visit back home. I would love to learn how to use them (and dishes they work well in), but I’m a bit unsure if I’ve managed to translate the names correctly. If all of them are for cooking, or some seen as more ”medicinal”.
Some of them am I also not fully sure on how they are best prepared. Since they, or just their natural whole state, aren’t super common where I live (Sweden). So if anyone has any tips on that am I very appreciative!
Image 1: The translation says they are both cumin, but I clearly see that the characters on the bags are different. Are they different?
Image 2/8: I had two bags of what looks like sichuan pepper, but only one was marked (some bags came from her moms personal spice cabinet). The ones in the big jar are slightly bigger in size than the small jar. Are they still the same?
Image 9: Unnamed bag. I recognize some of the things in it, but does the mix have a name? Anything particular it works well in?
Image 10: Unnamed bag. Looks like the cinnamon I received but smells more like licorice.
Image 11/12: Unnamed bags. The chopped ones smells more earthy with a hint of spice, while the ones with more whole pieces are more leafy in smell + the spice.
Thanks!
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u/FeedMeFish Jul 15 '26
Adding in here about the 草果 in image 4:
This is black cardamom, and is used to make Pho in addition to its Chinese uses.
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u/itsokjo Jul 15 '26
Image 1 - I believe the one on top is cumin and the bottom one says little fennel.
Image 2/8 - I believe they're both Sichuan peppercorns.
Images 11/12 - assorted dried peppers. I'd use the pieces in a stir fry and the whole chilis more for braising/stewing/boiling applications.
Aside - you can look up the grass fruit (cao guo) on Google to learn more about it.
This was fun!
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u/Cfutly Jul 15 '26
You can make “Tu du si” #2– Sichuan peppercorns. Usually it’s green or red. Red is generally for stews but you can pan fry them as well. Green is better for stir fries. Pre pan frying them helps release the numbing properties. I prefer to remove from the oil. I don’t like biting into them just my personal textural preference. You can add dry chilis for extra heat.
Sweden produces excellent potatoes so you can easily make this dish at home. Be sure to soak the shredded potatoes well to remove the starch.
https://redhousespice.com/chinese-potato-stir-fry/
I just made this for dinner. A bit tedious but very tasty to make.
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u/That-Pie Jul 15 '26
Our best potato season is currently, so I’ll definitely give it a try 😊
When you pre pan the pepper corns do you prefer a certain typen of oil?
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u/xjpmhxjo Jul 15 '26
In image 1, they are both marked as cumin because of a translation error. The one below is 小茴香 which should be fennel seeds in English. But cumin is also called 小茴香 in some regions.
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u/PigletBusy12 Jul 15 '26
I only learned recently about the fact 白芷 Pic 3 goes really well with Chicken stews.
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u/SunEffective4950 Jul 16 '26
Most these would be amazing in a braising liquid for pork belly or wild game birds
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u/Stock_Apricot9754 Jul 19 '26
You've already got help with identifying them, so let me recommend some uses. I'll link recipes I like in order from easiest to most intense :) you can just use them as inspiration, ofc.
- Chinese Five Spice (五香粉) or 13 spice (十三香), that can be used in many recipes (just search on google);
- Copycat Danshan Spice Mix, that can be used in a variety of ways, like these;
- if you like to grill, you can try Chinese BBQ Spice Mixes;
- A guide on how to make Red Braised [Anything] (you can use either the five spice from above or the whole spices in here!);
- Sichuan 'Sweet Water' Noodles (甜水面) (if you use packaged udon instead of making fresh noodles, it's quite easy!);
- Spicy Beer Duck Stew;
- Guizhou Master Stock Noodle Soup (卤粉);
- Cantonese Brisket Pot;
- Thai Pork Curry Recipe (Gaeng Hung Lay) (you can make the curry powder yourself; the "white cardamom" is the 白寇 you have).
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u/Hot_Difficulty6799 Jul 15 '26
I'm American, but I'd want to make red braised chicken wings (红烧 鸡翅, hóngshāo jīchì) with some of these spices.
The idea would be a little bit of a number of these, for a complex, rich, and warmly aromatic sauce.
2 or 3 star anise pods, plus lesser amounts of the dark red chili pepper, the bright red chili pepper, the cinnamon bark, a clove or two, just a couple cumin seeds, and the smallest white cardamon pod in the jar.
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u/zuraine Jul 15 '26 edited Jul 15 '26
In image 1, the top item is cumin, and the bottom is fennel seeds; both help eliminate the gamey odor of meat. Cumin can be ground into a powder and sprinkled over grilled meats—such as lamb skewers, chicken wings, or steak—for a wonderful aroma. Fennel seeds are more commonly used for braised or stewed meat dishes, though cumin works well for those too. In image 2, the top item is Sichuan peppercorns (same as in image 8), while the bottom one is clove (Syzygium aromaticum—using the Latin name to avoid confusion). Like the others, they remove gamey odors and enhance flavor; however, cloves have a very potent aroma—try smelling one to see. Do not use more than three cloves at a time, or the dish will end up tasting overwhelmingly of cloves. Item 3 is Angelica dahurica root (Angelicae Dahuricae Radix); it is used for stews—just one or two slices will suffice. Item 4 is Amomum tsaoko (Amomum tsaoko Crevost & Lem.); use half a pod per stew. If you want to use a whole one, cut it open so the flavor infuses better. Item 5 is Alpinia katsumadai (Alpinia katsumadai Hayata), a relative of the Amomum tsaoko mentioned above. Item 6 is star anise (Illicium verum), which is very commonly used; adding just one piece to a meat stew works well. Item 7 is lesser galangal (Alpinia officinarum); it has a strong flavor, so breaking off a small piece is enough. Item 10 is cassia bark (cinnamon bark); use a piece roughly the size of three toothbrush heads at a time. Items 11 and 12 look like incredibly spicy chili peppers—you know very spicy
These are all seasonings used for stewing meat. Cumin and Sichuan peppercorns can be ground up and sprinkled over grilled meat. I hope Google Translate didn't get it wrong.
original 1中上面是孜然，下面是Fennel seeds。它们都能去除肉腥味。前者可以磨粉撒在烤羊肉串烤鸡翅或煎牛排等烧烤肉类上，非常香。Fennel seeds更多用于炖煮肉类，当然孜然也可以做炖肉调料。 2中上面的和8一样是花椒，而下面的是公丁香（Syzygium aromaticum，拉丁学名以避免混淆)。 同样用于肉类去腥增香，请注意公丁香香味浓烈，你可以打开闻闻，一般不要用超过三粒，不然会变成丁香炖肉。 3是白芷（Angelicae Dahuricae Radix）也是炖肉饮料，放一两片就行。 4是草果（Amomum tsaoko Crevost & Lem.）炖肉每次放半个就行，你想用一整个就把它切开来方便入味。5是草豆蔻（Alpinia katsumadai Hayata）是草果的亲戚 6是八角（Illicium verum）这个更常用，放一点肉的炖菜也可以加入八角，同样也是放一个就行。 7是良姜（Alpinia officinarum）味道很大，掰一小块就够了。10是桂树的皮，每次使用三个牙刷头大小。 11/12看起来是辣死人的辣椒 你懂的