david chang swears by MSG.
and when i see a recipe that calls for 5 spice, i routinely substitute a whole piece of star anise along with a couple of cloves, half a stick of cinnamon & a little fennel. but for me, it’s the star anise that i associate with certain chinese dishes that i suspect you weren’t getting as part of your flavor profile.
Thanks for that. I have all those things on hand and will ‘do it.’
I did something like that last night with short ribs. I was winging it with a recipe from _Vietnamese Street Food. I had short ribs that needed to be used and I made it in my pressure cooker. I used ginger, fish sauce, a fresh garlicky chili sauce from another recipe I had left over, shallot, lemon grass, 5 Spice and chopped tomatoes. It was pretty good. I may have to do it again and follow the recipe. The recipe didn’t call for the chili sauce but it added just enough heat to wake up the taste buds.
When hearing or reading “Chinese Flavor” I tend to think of something with toasted sesame oil or 5 Spice, ginger, soy sauce, fish sauce maybe spicy peppers. I tend to think maybe Asian flavors than just Chinese.