Thirteen Spice Braise Pack

The secret behind many of Taiwan's favorite braised dishes—like lu rou fan (braised pork over rice), beef noodle soup, and lu wei (braised foods)—is the lu bao 滷包 (braise pack), a spice-filled sachet that adds a warm dimension of spice to the stock, the Taiwanese version of the French sachet d'epices. A good lu bao turns your braising liquid into herbal gold and infuses it with the medicinal qualities of traditional spices like star anise, ginger, black cardamom, and cumin. This lu bao, developed by popular Taiwanese food blogger Joe Deng of Foodie Goodie 食貨誌, has a cult following in Taiwan. Multiple people have come into our brick-and-mortar to request it. This lu bao is the most exceptionally fragrant and fresh that we've found, outside of a traditional Di Hua Jie apothecary. It took Deng ten years to develop it; this kind of thing does not come easy. You've likely heard of five spice, one of the better known Chinese diasporic flavor combinations, featuring star anise, cinnamon, fen