Octagonal petal angle is neat, the sharp angle is straight, the back is rough and wrinkled, and the color on both sides of the inner surface is light, smooth and shiny. The abdomen is cracked and contains a seed with a reddish-brown seed coat. Octagonal is mostly octagonal, rarely pentagonal or hexagonal.
Illicium verum generally has 7-8 horns, all of which are smooth, and the fruit is plump, brownish red, and has a certain luster. It smells strong and tastes sweet. There are also two kinds of star anise: autumn star anise and spring star anise. Autumn star anise has full fruit and bright red color, while spring star anise is relatively thin.
1, the color of the authentic star anise is brownish red or brownish yellow, and the color of the star anise is related to the drying method.
2. Some star anise looks very thin, while others are very fleshy, with large seams. You can see the seeds inside, which is better.
3. Most of the authentic star anise has eight corners, and it is straight and tidy. It is better to choose this star anise, and the poor quality star anise is generally 1 1 corner.
4. There are also two kinds of star anise: autumn star anise and spring star anise. The fruit of autumn star anise is full, the color is red and bright, and the taste is strong, while the spring star anise is relatively thin, slightly blue and the smell is not very strong.
Edible method of star anise
1, star anise is widely used in cooking. It is mainly used in cooking processes such as boiling, frying, marinating, sauce and roasting. It is often added to dishes for making beef and rabbit meat, which can remove fishy smell, increase aromatic smell, adjust taste and stimulate appetite.
2. When stewing meat, put star anise into the pot, and the aroma of star anise can be fully hydrolyzed and dissolved into the meat, making the meat taste more mellow.
3. When cooking soup cabbage, you can add salt and star anise to the cabbage, and finally put some sesame oil, so that the dish made in this way has a strong leek flavor.
4. When pickled eggs, duck eggs, Chinese toon and coriander, adding star anise will have a unique flavor.