Five-spice powder

Five-spice powder is a Chinese spice blend. The usual mix is star anise, cinnamon or cassia, cloves, fennel seed and Sichuan pepper, though some blends add ginger, licorice root or white pepper. It tastes warm, sweet and licorice-like, with a slight numbing tingle from the Sichuan pepper.

How to use it

• Rub it on pork belly, duck or chicken before you roast them. About 1 teaspoon per 500 g (1 lb) of meat is plenty.
• Add it to a marinade with soy sauce, garlic, honey and Shaoxing wine for char siu style pork or sticky ribs.
• Stir a pinch into braises, fried rice, roasted nuts or spiced salt for dipping.
• Try a little in baking, such as gingerbread or plum cake.

The blend is strong and star anise can take over, so start with less than you think.

Substitutes

To make your own, toast 2 star anise, 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, 1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns, 6 cloves and a 5 cm (2 inch) piece of cinnamon in a dry pan for about a minute, until fragrant. Cool, then grind finely in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. This makes about 1 tablespoon.

If you are missing one spice, the blend still works with four. In a pinch, ground cinnamon with a little ground star anise or allspice gives a similar warm sweetness.

How to store it

Keep it in a tightly closed jar away from light and heat. It is best within about six months. If it no longer smells strong when you open the jar, it will taste dull in food.

Common mistakes

• Using it like a mild seasoning. Too much tastes bitter and medicinal.
• Mixing it up with garam masala or allspice. They share some spices but taste different.

In recipes

Five-spice is used in Cantonese roast meats, red-cooked pork, Taiwanese braised pork rice and Vietnamese grilled meats. Western recipes use it in glazes for salmon or chicken wings and in spiced cakes.