Homemade Chinese five spice powder with star anise, cloves, Sichuan peppercorn, fennel seeds and cinnamon.
Recently, I get readers ask about how to choose five spice powder. She is complaining about the too strong cinnamon taste in store bought version. Honestly I did not know which brand to recommend because in most case, I use my homemade version.
Seeing the name, the first impression is that this mixture contains five types of spicy materials. Basically five spice powder is mainly used in braised dishes or roasted meat especially pork, beef or fish.
The five basic ingredients for Chinese five spice powder are star aniseed (大料), fennel seeds(小茴香), cloves(丁香), Sichuan peppercorn(花椒) and cinnamon(肉桂). Based on the five basic ingredients, other spices might also be added due to different recipes. In fact, there are more than 13 common Chinese spices used in Chinese dishes. You can adjust the amount according to the basic ratio or change certain some ingredients accordingly. For example, if you certainly reduce the amount of cinnamon if you do not strong cinnamon taste since it might cause some bitterness. That’s why I am always trying to make homemade version sauces, spices and seasonings. We will have control of almost everything.
Health tip: Five-spice powder combines the advantages of various spice and an appreciate amount can help to improve body immunity. However pregnant woman should not eat too much and avoid it in early pregnancy.
Then, let’s find how to use five spice powder.
1. Use it in fillings of dumplings
2. Use it on roasted recipes:
3. Use in pancakes
Zucchini Pancakes Chinese Style
4. Use it in stir fry recipes
- 20 g Sichuan Peppercorn
- 20 g star anise
- 10 g fennel seeds
- 10 g cinnamon or cinnamon powder
- 8 g cloves
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Break cinnamon and star anise. And then put the two ingredients in your grinder to ground them to powder.
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Mix with other ingredients and continue grind until all the ingredients are well grounded.
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Filter large particles out; and keep the filtered ground powder mixture in airtighter container until use.
Since the five spice powder has a strong taste, spare it and do not use too much each time.
Do not throw away the large particles, you can use them in stewing recipes.
Ni hao! I love all your publications! You’re a very good photographer besides being a very good cooker 🙂 Keep up the good work! I just wanted to ask you if you could put the names of the spices in the second image, because there are some that I’ve never seen in my life! And i confess that i’m a little bit of as spice’s collector 🙂 but i’m still on the beggining for what I can see… xièxie
Hi Margarida,
Thanks for stopping by and leaving me this lovely comment.
I have updated the picture. Hope all this information is useful to you. I love to collect spices too.
Thank you! I’m really grateful! 😀 By the way, I already tried your recipe of mapo tofu and it’s awesome! Keep up the good work… 🙂
Thanks Margarida for trying my recipe. I am so happy to heat you like it too. Ma po tofu has been always be one of my favorite tofu dishes. Happy cooking ahead.
Hi, Elaine.
Really love all your post.
I’m Eva, working for WithEating magazine in China. I wonder could we repost some of your articles and something about you on our website. If you’re interested, would you please just drop me an e-mail?
Have a nice day!
Hi Eva,
Thanks for contacting me, I will drop you an email later.
Hi, Elaine. I’ve just made my own five-spice blend and I want to try it out. I have squid tubes: do you have a recipe for spicy five-spice squid or calamari?
Kind Regards,
AM.
Hi Anne,
I do not have a five spice squid on the blog so far. I will try to catch up one soon.Thanks for the inspiration. Five-spice squid should be delicious!
Hi, Elaine, I’m living in Holland and here is Sichuan Peppercorn not avalaible in stores, can I replace it for something else?
I am sorry but I have to say no. Sichuan peppercorn is quite essential to Chinese five spice powder. But depending on what you are going to cooking (like beef and lamb), you may substitute it with cumin.
Hi Elaine,
I’m living in Holland and here are not Sichuan Peppercorn avalaible in shops, can I replace it for someting else?
Kind Regards,
Richard
Wow! I have been looking for an authentic chinese cuisine easy to ready to enjoy the cooking cook page for quite some time. This is classic straight forward and full of passages to basics, sauces, and traditional cooking. Thanks to you I have re- engaged with the art of cooking.
Catherine,
Thank you Catherine for such a lovely comment.