Five-spice powder (五香粉, wu xiang fen) is the all-purpose warm spice blend of Chinese cooking. The classic mix is star anise, cassia cinnamon, cloves, fennel seed and Sichuan peppercorn, sometimes with white pepper, ginger or licorice root. It tastes sweet, licorice-like and slightly numbing, never hot. Star anise (八角, ba jiao) is the dominant note and is also used whole: one or two of the eight-pointed stars go into red-braised pork, soy-braised eggs, tea eggs, pho broth and Chinese roast duck.

How to buy

Look for a blend that lists star anise first and smells strongly of it; cheap jars are mostly cinnamon and go dusty fast. In the US, the McCormick jar is fine but Asian-market brands (Lee Kum Kee, Wangzhihe, Spice Hunter) taste fresher, and a 2 oz bag costs a dollar or two. Buy whole star anise by the bag from an Asian grocery or the bulk spice aisle: pods should be intact, reddish-brown, with the seeds still inside, and snap cleanly. Whole cassia bark and star anise let you make your own blend in a coffee grinder.

How to store

Ground five-spice loses its punch in about 6 months, whole star anise keeps a year or more. Both go in an airtight jar in a dark cupboard, never above the stove. If the powder smells more like dust than licorice, or a star anise pod breaks without releasing any aroma, replace it. Whole star anise also freezes well in a zip bag.

Substitutes

  • Homemade blend: 2 parts ground star anise, 1 part each cinnamon, cloves, fennel and Sichuan pepper, used 1:1; fresher and more fragrant than any jar.
  • Garam masala 1:1 for a rub or braise; you get warmth but lose the licorice note.
  • Ground star anise plus a pinch of cinnamon 1:1 when you only have the whole pods; misses the clove and pepper depth.
  • Anise seed or 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed for each whole star anise in a broth; a similar sweet licorice flavor with less intensity.

How to use

Five-spice is strong: 1/2 to 1 teaspoon seasons a pound of pork, chicken or tofu, and more turns bitter and medicinal. Rub it on meat with salt and a little sugar before roasting, or stir it into a braising liquid with soy sauce and Shaoxing wine. Whole star anise is best in liquid: 1 or 2 pods for a pot of braise or broth, added at the start and fished out before serving. Toast whole spices in a dry pan for a minute before grinding for a much rounder aroma, and add ground five-spice near the end of a stir-fry so it does not scorch in the oil.

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