It's time to make another Sunday supper for my parents, plus it's Mother's Day! Why not experiment upon them with a brand new recipe and hope for the best?

Five Spice Powder

1 star anise pod 1/2 tsp fennel 1/2 tsp cloves 1/2 tsp Sichuan pepper powder 1/2 tsp Ceylon cinnamon

I love licorice and anise flavors, with the recently-discovered exception of Allsorts, so this aromatic anise was a fun ingredient to try. I broke apart the pod and crushed everything, since a quick web search said to do that, but I wasn't as meticulous as I could be. These seed pods are tough. I mashed away as best I could in the mortar and pestle, added the other four spices, and ground away some more. I would suggest using something more effective.

Marinade

1/2 tsp of five spice powder 2 Tbsp sugar 1 Tbsp hoisin sauce 1 Tbsp soy sauce 1/2 tsp salt 1 cup water

I used boneless pork chops for this, because it was on sale. I think a thicker sauce would have worked better, but I did not want to spend a long time browsing the web or commit sacrilege by using ketchup as one recipe recommended. I also omitted red food coloring and red bean curd, so the classic red look was not present either. It smelled good, though!

I left the mix to marinade for a couple hours, baked it for about 30 minutes at 350°F, and then kicked on the broiler to make it a bit brown and crispy on the surface. Once I checked internal temperature with a meat thermometer, it was ready to serve over jasmine rice with a bagged salad mix on the side.

I know I didn't make it right, but it tasted pretty darn good, so that's still a win. And the Mother Thing seemed to appreciate not making supper for Mother's Day, so that's another win. And finally, she liked the necklace I made, so that's three victories for the day!

I think doubling the spice mix in the would have been fine, and the guidelines I found online were a tad timid. If you have a more authentic char siu recipe, please share it in the comments! Meanwhile, to any and all mothers who may read this post, I wish you a belated happy Mother's Day!

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