The braised pork uses natural spices for coloring. Not only does the braised pork look good, it also tastes healthier. 1. Turmeric Turmeric is a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the family Zingiberaceae and the genus Curcuma longa. Its underground rhizomes are generally used as condiments in spices. Turmeric has a spicy, slightly orange flavor and a peppery aroma. Turmeric is often paired with white pepper for seasoning, which can highlight the aroma of pepper. Turmeric also has antiseptic properties. In addition, turmeric can dye food ingredients into a golden color, so turmeric is widely used in brine, such as salt-baked chicken in the South. In addition to being used for braised poultry, turmeric can also be used in the preparation of some curry powder. Curry powder is a compound seasoning made from turmeric powder as the main ingredient, combined with coriander seeds, cinnamon, chili, white pepper and other spice powders. 2. Yellow Gardenia Yellow gardenia is also called red branch. Its surface color is red-yellow or brownish-red, spindle-shaped, with six ribs on the surface and its skin is relatively thin. Yellow gardenia smells very small, with a slight licorice-like taste and a slightly bitter aftertaste. The dried fruits are used as a condiment in cooking. Yellow gardenia is mainly used for color mixing to make the color of brine golden or reddish-yellow. It is also often used with sugar color in spiced brine. When using, try not to throw it directly into the brine. If it is boiled for a long time, the brine will easily spoil. Gardenia can be boiled into gardenia water. The color of gardenia is yellowish, not that red, and gardenia does not add much flavor to the ingredients. It is often used in the preparation of braised chicken. 3. Lithospermum Lithospermum is the general name for plants of the genus Lithospermum in the family Boragaceae, and its dried roots are generally used for coloring. It is often used in red oil chili oil or in the cooking of Sichuan hot pot ingredients. Its ruddy color makes the finished red oil product naturally red. When using comfrey, be careful not to add too much. One pound of oil is only about one or two grams. Too much oil will turn purple. 4. Saffron Saffron has a fruity aroma and a slightly bitter taste. It can also be used for coloring in cooking. However, the output of saffron is small and expensive. It is a precious specialty of Tibet in my country. Generally, it is rare to be luxurious enough to use this expensive spice for coloring. Therefore, No detailed introduction will be given here. 5. Red yeast rice Red yeast rice is made from glutinous rice and other raw materials fermented by Monascus fungus. The shape is like broken rice, mostly irregular particles. Red yeast rice is not a member of the spice family, but it is often used in cooking. Because red yeast rice has a very strong coloring ability and does not fade, it is often used in brine with spices. Red yeast rice can be colored by soaking in water or grinding into powder. It makes the color of the finished product dark red. If used too much, the finished product will be too bright. Therefore, it is often used in combination with sugar color and yellow gardenia to make the color of the finished product more natural. Do not add red yeast rice directly to the brine, but you can boil it into red yeast rice water to adjust the color. 6. In addition to using the above ingredients for sugar color, the method of frying rock sugar to make sugar color is generally used to color the ingredients. White sugar can also be used, but it is not as effective as rock sugar. In brine, sugar color is generally combined with the above-mentioned ingredients for comprehensive color matching. For example, when braising pork, stir-fried sugar color is first added to the brine, and then paired with gardenia, which can make the color of the finished product more plump, red and brighter, and more appetizing. 7. Soy sauce In addition, soy sauce is also mostly used for coloring and seasoning, but it is generally used more in soy sauce and less in red brine.