Chinese Five Spice is thought to have been the result of the Chinese’s attempt at creating the ultimate “wonder powder.” And all we can say is: Mission accomplished! Sweet, spicy, robust and vibrant, a small dash of this goes a long way to adding life and incredible flavor to your dishes!
Chinese Five Spice is one of those magical spice blends that brings food to life with its complementary and contrasting flavors. It’s made up of five spices: Star anise, fennel, szechuan peppercorns, cinnamon and cloves. The number five also refers to the five flavor groups, namely sweet, bitter, salty, sour and umami/pungent. The thought is that by achieving balance among these flavors wondrous things can happen.
In fact, while the exact origin of Chinese Five Spice is unknown, it is believed that it is the result of the Chinese attempting to produce the ultimate “wonder powder.” And achieve that they did: Just a touch of this five spice powder will transform any dish to which it’s added!
HOW TO USE CHINESE FIVE SPICE
Chinese five spice is deliciously versatile. Just to get you started with a few ideas, use it as follows:
- As a dry rub for pork, beef, chicken, duck and seafood
- In marinades for meat, poultry and seafood
- As a glaze combined with honey and brown sugar for your ham, chicken, pork or grilled ribs.
- Add to stir-fries
- Combine with breading for coating meats or veggies before frying
- Add to soups and stews for a fabulous depth of flavor
- A flavorful choice for spiced nuts
- Sprinkle a little on your oatmeal for a fun flavor twist
- Add to gingerbread-type baked goods for a unique boost in flavor
- and any other fun and imaginative way you can think of!
Use this homemade Chinese five spice powder to make the absolute
BEST authentic Hoisin Sauce!
You’ll also need this five spice powder to make this incredible Chinese Plum Sauce!
Be sure to also try this delicious dish: Chinese Honey-glazed Beef and Walnuts!
How To Make Chinese Five Spice
We highly recommend getting whole spices to make this seasoning blend. Pre-ground spices have been sitting around in warehouses and stores and have lost much of their natural oils. As with any spice blend, using whole spices and then toasting and grinding them yields the absolute best flavor. There just is no comparison.
It’s super simple to make your own following this Chinese Five Spice recipe:
Toast the whole spices in a dry skillet over medium-high heat until very fragrant. Be careful not to scorch the spices or they will become bitter. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Grind the spices in a coffee/spice grinder, blender or with a mortar and pestle. Store your five spice powder in an airtight container until ready to use.
I’ve been using my KRUPS spice/coffee grinder for over 10 years and it’s still going strong.
Alternatively you can use pre-ground spices and simply combine them and store them until ready to use.
Enjoy the flavor and versatility of this wonderful homemade Chinese Five Spice!
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Authentic Chinese Five Spice
Ingredients
- 10 star anise (or 2 tablespoons ground star anise)
- 2 1/2 teaspoons whole fennel seeds (or 1 1/2 tablespoons ground fennel seed)
- 2 teaspoons szechuan peppercorns (or 2 teaspoons ground szechuan peppercorn)
- 1 small stick cinnamon (or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon)
- 6 whole cloves (or 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves)
Instructions
- Toast the whole spices in a dry skillet over medium-high heat until very fragrant. Be careful not to scorch the spices or they will become bitter. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Grind the spices in a coffee/spice grinder, blender or with a mortar and pestle. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.
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jesusan says
Just want to make sure that everyone knows that the anise in this recipe is actually Star Anise, an Asian spice, available at Asian grocery stores. This is a different spice from the anise we westerners are familiar with.
The Daring Gourmet says
Yes, that’s correct. The star anise is the photograph for visual reference, but I’ll add that clarification in the actual recipe in case there is any confusion. Thanks!
JEANIE says
Jesusan Hi, We’ve been Using this spice in Australia Both Ground And In The Star Seeded Form since the Chinese came here in the early 1700’s, and bought these beautiful spices with them and grew them in their market gardens on the gold fields. The Different Anise?, Which Is The Short Term For “Aniseed”, Or “Licorice Root” Flavouring Used In The Boiled Humbug Lollies Or Chewy Licorice, Both Lovely, But You Can Definitely Taste The Difference, and can be purchased in all grocery stores not just Asian, but also your green grocer has a Herb & Spice Rack stocked with packets of Ground and seed Form., which everyone needs to err caution with Dried Or Ground as it is concentrated, and you go nuts on fresh., Have made this and its a pretty good version…….XXXX
JEANIE KIRBY says
Jesusan Hi, We’ve been Using this spice in Australia Both Ground And In The Star Seeded Form since the Chinese came here in the early 1700’s, and bought these beautiful spices with them and grew them in their market gardens on the gold fields. The Different Anise?, Which Is The Short Term For “Aniseed”, Or “Licorice Root” Flavouring Used In The Boiled Humbug Lollies Or Chewy Licorice, Both Lovely, But You Can Definitely Taste The Difference, and can be purchased in all grocery stores not just Asian, but also your green grocer has a Herb & Spice Rack stocked with packets of Ground and seed Form., which everyone needs to err caution with Dried Or Ground as it is concentrated, and you go nuts on fresh., Have made this and its a pretty good version………..XXXX
Andy B says
So do you roast the spices before grinding or not at all?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Andy, if you have the whole spices, yes, that is ideal for optimal flavor. Dry roast them whole, cool completely, then grind.
Mom-Mom Boom says
A number of years ago I was able to get a 5-Spice powder that did NOT contain ANY form of Anise; sadly it is no longer available, and I no longer have a container to refer to. I have not located a commercially available version to replace it. Have you any preferences as to a spice to use in substitution (or know of a BRAND) I would gladly make my own mix with a suggestion.
thanks
Barbara Eubanks says
5-Spice powder is cloves, fennel, cinnamon, anise seeds and Szechwan peppercorns. We used to watch a show called Yan Can Cook years ago and he made this.
Anonymous says
hi very nice spice. almost better than ginger spice from the spice girls.
MF says
Love being able to mix my own instead of running to the store when my bottle ran out. Thanks for the recipe!
Julia F says
I love the idea of making my own spice mixes. They are fresher and more fragrant. Thank you for sharing this beauty of a recipe!
Jenn says
My family loves this spice and I make it all the time! :)
Krissy Allori says
Oh wow! Where has this been all my life? It is the perfect balance of flavors. I’ll be keeping this on hand at all times now.
Demeter says
I can’t believe how easy it is to make your own. Thanks for the tip about getting the whole spices and grinding them yourself.
Beth says
Love the idea of using a grinder and making this at home! Just perfect!