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Organic Spices
Turmeric,
Ginger,
Garlic,
Pepper,
Fenugreek, Cardamom, Cinnamon,
Cumin,
Chili, Nutmeg,
Coriander, Mustard, Tamarind, Vanilla, Sesame
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Organic Foods
Banana, Coconut, Guava, Mango, Papaya, Tomato, Onion, Honey, Arrowroot, Niger, Maize, Peanut, Rice, Castor, Red gram, Black gram, Sorghum, Cashew
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Organic Herbs
Aloe Vera, Amla, Neem, Basil, Bacopa, Licorice, Chebula, Asparagus, Ashwagandha, Stevia, Coleus, Senna
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Star Anise
Star Anise Spices: It is widely used in Chinese cuisine, in Indian cuisine where it is a major component of garam masala. Star anise is an ingredient of the traditional five-spice powder of Chinese cooking. In northern India, where it is used as an ingredient of Masala Chai, it is also known as badian khatai which leads to its European name badiane. Badian is the persian name of Anise. Star anise has come into use in the West as a less expensive substitute for anise in baking as well as in liquor production, most distinctively in the production of the liquor Galliano. It is used as a condiment for flavouring curries, confectionaries, spirits, and for pickling. It is also used in perfumery. The essential oil of star anise is used to flavour soft drinks, bakery products and liquors.
Star Anise Health: Star anise has been used in a tea as a remedy for rheumatism, and the seeds are sometimes chewed after meals to aid digestion. As a warm and moving herb, star anise is used to assist in relieving cold-stagnation in the middle jiao, according to Traditional Chinese medicine. Star anise is the industrial source in making Tamiflu. Late in that year, a way was found of making shikimic acid artificially. It is a common flavouring for medicinal teas, cough mixtures and pastilles.
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Star anise is the dried, star shaped fruit of Illicium verum. It is an evergreen tree attaining a height of 8-15 meters and a diameter of 25 cm. The leaves are entire, 10-15 cm long, 2.5 – 5 cm broad, elliptic, flowers are solitary, white to red in colour. Fruits are star shaped, reddish brown consisting of 6-8 carpels arranged in a whorl. Each carpel is 10 mm long, boat shaped, hard and wrinkled containing a seed. Seeds are brown, compressed, ovoid, smooth, shiny and brittle.
Origin and Distribution
Star Anise is indigenous to South Eastern China. Commercial production is limited to China and Vietnam. In India, it is produced to a small a extent in Arunachal Pradesh.
The crop requires specific agro climatic conditions available only in the traditional growing areas, which has prevented repeated attempts of other countries to grow star anise. However it prefers woodlands, sunny edges, and dappled shade. The plant grows well in humus rich, mildly acidic to neutral soils, which are light to medium and having good drainage. It tolerates temperatures down to –10 degree C.
USES
Star anise is one of the signature flavours of Chinese savory cooking. The five-spice powder mix common in China contains star anise. It is used to flavour vegetables, meat, and to marinate meat. It is used as a condiment for flavouring curries, confectionaries, spirits, and for pickling. It is also used in perfumery. The essential oil of star anise is used to flavour soft drinks, bakery products and liquors.
The fruit is anti-bacterial, carminative, diuretic and stomachic. It is considered useful in flatulence and spasmodic.
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Botanical
name |
Family
name |
Commercial
part |
Illicium
verum |
Illiciaceae |
Dried
Fruit |
| Indian
Names |
| Hindi |
: Anasphal
|
| Malayalam |
: Takkolam |
| Marathi |
: Badian |
| Tamil |
: Anashuppu |
| Telugu |
: Anaspuvu |
| English |
: Indian anise, Chinese anise, Badian anise
|
| French |
: Anis étoilé, Anis de la Chine, Badiane |
| German |
: Sternanis, Badian |
| Thai |
: Chan tanat paetklip, Poy kak bua, Dok chan |
| Arabic |
: Zafran |
| Chinese |
: Baat gok
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Further Reading:
Sensory quality: Like anise, but stronger: Warm, sweet, aromatic.
Main constituents: The dried fruits may contain 5 to 8% of essential oil, which dominated by anethole (85 to 90%). The other components, phellandrene, safrole and terpineol, have only small effect on the aroma. Traces of 1,4 cineol can be used to distinguish star anise from anise, which (like most other spices) is free of this compound.
Star anise are a popular spice in China. Chinese cookery is a quite complex matter and one of the oldest cooking traditions of the world.
Stir-frying (chao or chow), which is the dominating cooking technique in Chinese restaurants of the Western Hemisphere is but one of the numerous cooking techniques in China, and it is most characteristic of the mild Cantonese style (Guangzhou style) of cooking. For all this star anise is an indispensable spice. The Northern Beijing style, hot Sichuan style uses star anise. All over China, five spice powder (Mandarin wu xiang fen , Cantonese ngh heung fan, according to dubious sources also hung-liu) is known and valued. This spice mixture contains star anise, cassia (or cinnamon), cloves, fennel and Sichuan pepper usually to equal parts. Optionally, ginger, galanga, black cardamom or even liquorice may be added.
Five spice powder is often added to a batter made from egg white and cornstarch, which is used to coat meats and vegetables to keep them moisty and succulent during deep-frying. Meat is also frequently coated with a mixture of corn starch and five spice powder and deep-fried. Lastly, star anise is often contained in marinades for meat to be stir-fried.
Outside China, star anise is less valued. In the North of Vietnam, it is popular for beef soups (see Vietnamese cinnamon). Star anise is also used in Thailand: In the North, it is often employed in long-simmered stews; elsewhere, especially in the tropical South, it is a common flavourant for ice tea. Thai iced tea (cha dam yen) is brewed from black tea and flavoured with star anise powder, sometimes also cinnamon, licorice, vanilla and orange flowers; it is enjoyed with crushed ice, sugar and evaporated milk.
Star anise plays some limited rôle in Persian and Pakistani (and therefrom, North Indian) cuisine. In South India it is quite common, particularly in Kerala, where it often shows up in the garam masala spice blend and appears as characteristic star fragments in the local spicy adaptions of the Moghul rice dish biriyani.
Star anise has also found limited use in the West, where its main application is as a (cheaper) substitute for anise in mulled wine, desserts and, most importantly, in liqueurs.
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