Chinese Five Spice Powder
Spices tend to lose their fragrance quickly once ground. That's why I like to make my own spice blends, including this fragrant Chinese Five Spice Powder.
Ingredients
- 3 pods star anise
- 20 whole cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick (crumbled)
- 1 tablespoon Sichuan pepper (husks only, remove any black seeds)
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon white peppercorns
Instructions
- Toast all the spices either in a hot pan or in a toaster oven being careful not to burn them. You'll know they're done when they start giving off a wonderful aroma.
- Put the toasted spices in a spice grinder, a blender, or a food processor and blitz until it's ground into a fine powder.
- Pass it through a fine mesh sieve to remove any big pieces and store in an airtight container until you're ready to use it.