Flavor-Potting |
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| Servings | Preparation Time | Cooking Time | Calories | % from Fat | Fat | Sodium | Carbohydrates | Protein | Cholesterol |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| INGREDIENTS: | ||
| 4 ounces mixed flavor-potting spices or 12 whole star anise | 1/2 ounce cinnamon | 1 cardamom (t'sao kuo) |
| 1 teaspoon cloves | 3 tablespoon fennel seeds | 4 tablespoons Szechwan peppercorns |
| 1/5 ounce liquorice | 1 ounce dried ginger root | 5 to 5-1/2 pints water |
| 2 ounces fresh ginger root, unpeeled and bruised | 2 or 3 large pieces preserved tangerine peel | 2 tablespoons sea salt |
| 16 ounces thick soy sauce | 2 ounces thin soy sauce | 5 oounces Demerara or granulated sugar |
| 6 ounces Shaohsing wine or medium-dry sherry | 2 tablespoons mei-kuei-lu wine or gin | |
| 1 | Put the mixed spices in a bag made from 3 layers of cheesecloth or muslin and tie the opening with cotton or string. Put into a large, deep stockpot. |
| 2 | Add the water, fresh ginger and tangerine peel. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, to release the aromatic flavors. |
| 3 | Add the sea salt, soy sauces, sugar and wine or sherry, continuing to simmer until the sugar has completely dissolved. Check the taste of the sauce: it should be quite salty, rich and aromatic. It is now ready for other ingredients to be cooked in it. |
| Notes: | Flavor-potting is a cooking technique popular in every Chinese region whereby meat, poultry or offal is cooked and then steeped in a specially prepared sauce. The idea is that the flavor of the sauce will permeate the meat, and the sauce will in turn be enriched by the taste of the meat and its fat. The spices used in the sauce vary from area to area and from cook to cook, but the ones most frequently used are: star anise, Szechwan peppercorns, fennel seeds, cinnamon, ginger and liquorice. In China, flavor-potting spices are generally bought ready-made from an herbal pharmacy, and these mixtures, labeled "mixed spices", are now exported and sold in Chinese shops. The flavor-potting sauce, if properly kept and periodically reheated, should last indefinitely. Indeed, many familes pride themselves on keeping the same sauce for months, if not years! |