Home-made five-spice powder
makes about ¼ cup
Five-spice powder from the supermarket can (depending on its age) look and taste just like brown powder. And that’s a shame because when it’s freshly made, it adds the most wonderful, warm whack of spice to a recipe. Make a big batch and keep it handy for all kinds of things: the plum sauce here, the spring onion pancakes, or as a rub and marinade for all kinds of meats, stir-fries or roasted eggplant (aubergine). It also makes a lovely gift.
Ingredients
- 6 star anise
- 2 tsp cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 Tbsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp peppercorns Sichuan if you can find them
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a dry frying pan and toast over medium heat for a few minutes or until the spices are aromatic and the seeds are beginning to pop.
- Transfer the mixture to a high-powered blender, coffee grinder or a mortar and pestle and whizz or bash until you have a fine powder (or as fine as possible).
- Store in an airtight container.