Chinese Five Spice Ground Turkey Zucchini Noodlesare a great low carb option for a delicious dinner.
There’s a local restaurant that has a few zucchini noodle options on their summer menu. One was served with ground turkey and tomato sauce. It was light with just a little bit of tomato, and surprisingly, served room temperature, almost cool.
I had expected either a cold zucchini salad with turkey breast pieces, or a hot version. So, when my zucchini noodles arrived with a light ground turkey sauce served at room temperature, I was surprised. It actually tasted really nice.
Chinese Five Spice Ground Turkey Zucchini Noodles is my version of a favorite dish my dad makes called Za Jiang Mian. Za Jiang Mian is typically made with Chinese bean sauce and hoisin sauce, but I used soy sauce and five spice powder in this recipe to mimic the flavors.
Making Zucchini Noodles with a Spiralizer
I finally broke down and bought a spiralizer earlier this Spring and have been using it mostly to make zucchini noodles for my husband and me. We’ve been trying to cut back on pasta so zucchini noodles have been an easy way to enjoy meals with the kids when they’re having pasta.
My spiralizer is made by Paderno and has four blades. It’s fairly sturdy and comes apart pretty easily.
Stir Frying Zucchini Noodles
I usually drop the zucchini noodles into a pot of boiling water and cook them for a few minutes to slightly cook them, but they often come out really watery. So, this time, I just tossed the zucchini noodles into the sauce and tossed them around until they were slightly cooked. They kept their shape much better and weren’t watery at all.
I made these Chinese Five Spice Ground Turkey Zucchini Noodles for this month’s Recipe Redux Challenge, “Get Your Fruits and Veggies in Shape. With produce galore, now’s a great time to enjoy lots of fruits and vegetables. Show us how you’re serving the bounty of gardens and orchards in shapes like ribbons, noodles, cut-outs, or other creative cuts.”
Give these Chinese Five Spice Ground Turkey Zucchini Noodles a try and let me know what you think.
3.67 from 3 votes
Print
Chinese Five Spice Ground Turkey Zucchini Noodles
If you have a spiralizer, you can make your own zucchini noodles. You can also find zucchini noodles at some supermarkets in the produce section.
8cupszucchini noodles~ 3-4 zucchini, depending on the size
Optional Add-Ins
2teaspoonsgingerminced
3clovesgarlicminced
1/2teaspoonred pepper chili flakes
Instructions
Heat oil in a large pan or wok. If desired, add ginger, garlic, and/or red pepper chili flakes. Saute turkey until brown; drain any liquid off. Add soy sauce, sugar, five-spice powder, sesame oil and water. Toss to coat meat well and cook for a few minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add zucchini noodles and toss to coat; cook for several minutes until done to your preference.
Recipe Notes
I like my zucchini noodles just barely cooked; otherwise they get soggy. If you let the hot zucchini noodles and sauce sit for a few minutes, the noodles will soften a little more. This is delicious eaten room temperature too. If you like spicy food, serve with Chinese hot bean sauce or add some red pepper flakes during the cooking process.
Nutrition Facts
Chinese Five Spice Ground Turkey Zucchini Noodles
Amount Per Serving
Calories 272Calories from Fat 81
% Daily Value*
Fat 9g14%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Cholesterol 62mg21%
Sodium 599mg26%
Potassium 1603mg46%
Carbohydrates 17g6%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 13g14%
Protein 33g66%
Vitamin A 975IU20%
Vitamin C 84.9mg103%
Calcium 86mg9%
Iron 3.2mg18%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Slow Cooker Chinese Three Cup Chicken Recipe
2021-10-19 05:00:31
jeanette
18
Florence Lin’s Baked Coconut Sticky Rice Cake Recipe for Chinese New Year
What is five spice powder made of? Five spice is a blend of star anise, cloves, cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorns and fennel seeds. If you don't have Sichuan peppercorns to hand, you could substitute them for black peppercorns – the flavour will still be nice, although it won't have the same heat.
Cinnamon and star anise are among the common spices to find in a grocery store that can help you make the closest substitute to Chinese five spice powder. You can swap Chinese five spice with a mix of ground cinnamon and ground star anise.
Is Chinese 5 spice like allspice? Whilst Chinese 5 spice and allspice might seem pretty similar at first glance – there is one VERY big difference. Chinese 5 spice is a combination of 5 different spices, whereas allspice is a single spice, made up of dried fruit from the Pimenta diocia plant.
I was surprised how similar the Indian spice blend Garam Masala is to Chinese 5-Spice. Both contain fennel, cinnamon and cloves but Garam Masala includes carraway seeds and cardamom. And is missing the star anise. Given they are so similar just substitute 1:1.
Although it's not spicy-hot, it is rather intense. “Less is more” is a good rule of thumb to use when cooking with it. With that in mind, feel free to experiment. It's such an easy way to add complex flavor to a dish, it's almost like cheating!
A blend of anise, cinnamon, star anise, cloves and ginger, it is designed to impart a wide variety of tastes to fit many different types of prepared foods. A combination that produces citrus, licorice, earthy and sweet cinnamon notes.
Mixed spice typically contains a blend of sweet spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves, whereas 5 spice is a Chinese spice blend that usually contains star anise, fennel, Szechuan pepper, cinnamon, and cloves.
These elements are represented by the five flavors (sour, bitter, sweet, pungent, and salty). The Health Benefits of Five-Spice: Szechuan peppercorns contain capsaicin which creates a feeling of heat which helps boost the digestive system. It is a rich source of vitamin A, carotenes, and pyridoxine.
The warm, spicy-sweet flavor of allspice is very similar to that of five-spice powder, a blend of cinnamon, star anise, fennel, cloves, and ginger or pepper. Use equal parts of five-spice powder in place of the ground allspice called for in a recipe—it's great for both savory and sweet applications.
Substitutes for Allspice include using a combination of cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon as well as similar spice blends such as pumpkin pie spice (with some added pepper to achieve the savory notes of allspice) or apple pie spice.
The Thai equivalent of the Chinese five spice or the Indian garam masala, this is an all-purpose seasoning blend which is used in Thai style stir fries to bring out the full flavour of the food.
While both Allspice and Chinese Five Spice share warm, aromatic profiles, they are distinct spice blends. Substituting Allspice for Chinese Five Spice may alter the flavor of your dish. Five Spice typically includes star anise, cloves, Chinese cinnamon, Sichuan pepper, and fennel seeds, providing a unique taste.
To start with, Chinese five spice is Chinese in origin. Seven spice powder is Japanese, and also called shichimi togarashi. Unlike Five Spice, Seven spice's foundation is comprised of chilis, dried orange peel, sesame seed, dried ginger, and seaweed, as well as Sichuan peppercorns.
It is like an upgrade version of Five Spices, meaning it has a deeper, profound flavor profile. Thirteen Spices has similar function as Five Spices, but it works better to remove stronger odor from meat such as lamb or deer, or for a cuisine that requires stronger seasonings e.g. a Sichuan spicy hot pot.
Address: 58866 Tricia Spurs, North Melvinberg, HI 91346-3774
Phone: +50616620367928
Job: Real-Estate Liaison
Hobby: Graffiti, Astronomy, Handball, Magic, Origami, Fashion, Foreign language learning
Introduction: My name is Lilliana Bartoletti, I am a adventurous, pleasant, shiny, beautiful, handsome, zealous, tasty person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
