Five Spice Powder (五香粉)
Homemade five spice powder is a quick blend of toasted Szechuan peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon, fennel and cloves. Making it yourself means the peppercorns go into the pan first, and a few minutes of dry toasting brings out an aroma that jarred powder rarely has. The mix is a staple of Cantonese cooking, used on roasted duck and in beef stew. It is strong, so a small pinch goes a long way.
Instructions
Put the Szechuan peppercorns in a dry frying pan and toast them for about 3 minutes, until they smell fragrant.
Tip the toasted peppercorns into a pepper grinder or coffee grinder along with the star anise pods, and grind them together.
Sift the ground peppercorns and star anise to remove any larger bits.
Add the ground cloves, ground cinnamon and ground fennel seeds to the sifted spices and mix them together.
Grind the whole mixture again until it becomes a very fine powder.
Use it sparingly, because the blend is extremely pungent.
Make it personal.
Custom engraved cutting boards, utensils, and kitchen accessories. Great gifts for anyone who cooks.
Shop Custom Chef →Affiliate link · PicksByRecipe may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
