Star anise, also known as fennel, star anise, aniseed and anise. It is a plant of the star anise family. The dried fruit of its namesake is one of the seasonings in Chinese and Southeast Asian cooking. It is an evergreen tree that grows in a humid, warm and semi-shady environment, up to 20 meters high. Mainly distributed in southern China. The fruit is picked in autumn and winter and is reddish-brown or yellow-brown after drying. The smell is aromatic and sweet. Use whole fruit or ground.
Introduction of Star Anise
Star anise, also known as fennel, star anise, aniseed and anise. It is a plant of the star anise family. The dried fruit of its namesake is one of the seasonings in Chinese and Southeast Asian cooking. It is an evergreen tree that grows in a humid, warm and semi-shady environment, up to 20 meters high. Mainly distributed in southern China. The fruit is picked in autumn and winter and is reddish-brown or yellow-brown after drying. The smell is aromatic and sweet. Use whole fruit or ground.
Evergreen tree, 10-20m high. Bark gray to reddish brown, with irregular cracks. Branches dense, sailor-stretched. Simple leaves alternate or 3-6 clusters on top of branches; petiole stout, about 1cm long; leaf blade leathery, oblong or elliptic-lanceolate, 6-12cm long, 2-4cm wide, apex acuminate or acute, Base cuneate, entire, dark green above, glossy and oily, light green below, sparsely pubescent. Flowers bisexual, solitary in leaf axils, tepals 7-12, several whorls, imbricate arrangement, pink inner whorl; stamens 11-19, arranged in 1-2 whorls; carpels 8-9, free. Aggregate fruit, mostly composed of 8 (艹 bone) (蔹 process) fruit radially arranged in an octagonal shape, 3.5-4cm in diameter, reddish brown, woody; Abdominal suture ruptured. Seed 1, flat-ovate, bright brown. Flowering spring and autumn. Early autumn to the following spring.
Nutritional value of star anise
Star anise has the effects of warming yang and dispelling cold, regulating qi and relieving pain, and is mainly used for abdominal pain due to cold hernia; cold pain in waist and knee; stomach cold and vomiting; abdominal pain;
The edible effect of star anise
1. Increase gastrointestinal motility
The main ingredient of star anise is fennel oil, which can stimulate the gastrointestinal nerves and blood vessels, promote the secretion of digestive juice, increase gastrointestinal motility, strengthen the stomach and promote qi, and help relieve spasm and pain.
2. Increase white blood cells
Anisene can promote the maturation of bone marrow cells and release them into the peripheral blood, which can significantly increase white blood cells, mainly neutrophils, and can be used for leukopenia.
Consumption of star anise
1. Eye disease patients with yin deficiency and fire, and patients with Sjögren's syndrome, menopausal syndrome, active tuberculosis, bronchial asthma, gout, diabetes, and cancer (those with high heat) should not eat.
2. It is not advisable to consume too much. Excessive consumption can easily hurt the eyes and cause sores.
Choice of star anise
Buying star anise depends on the shape and aroma. The best star anise has neat petals and straight corners. The peel is thick, the back is rough and wrinkled, and the inner surface is lighter on both sides, smooth and shiny. The abdomen is split, containing a seed, the seed coat is reddish brown. Aggregate fruits are mostly octagonal, rarely five or hexagonal. Follicles plump and straight, apex blunt or blunt-pointed, seeds brown, shiny. The high-quality star anise granules are neat and complete, large and full, brown-red and shiny, with large cracks on the edge of the pod, bright seeds in the pod, and strong fragrance. The inferior star anise is thin and small, with many fragments, poor fragrance, dark brown.
Anise cooking tips
1. Star anise is widely used in cooking. It is mainly used in cooking, frying, marinating, sauce and roasting. It is often added to dishes such as beef and rabbit meat. Adjust taste, increase appetite;
2. When the meat is stewed, put the star anise in the pot, and its aroma can be fully hydrolyzed and dissolved into the meat, making the meat more mellow;
3. When making soup cabbage, you can add salt and star anise to the cabbage and cook together, and put some sesame oil at the end, so that the dish has a strong meat dish flavor;
4. When marinating eggs, duck eggs, toona sinensis and coriander, adding star anise will have a unique flavor.
