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Homemade Chinese five-spice substitute with Chinese cinnamon, star anise pods, fennel seeds, Sichuan peppercorns and cloves. The five-spice powder is in a small bowl surrounded by spices.

Chinese five-spice substitute

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5 from 23 votes
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Chinese five-spice is a fragrant spice blend with a warm cinnamon and liquorice-like anise flavour. Use this recipe for homemade five-spice powder, or see the full post for more substitutes.
This blend is so good you'll never want shop-bought five-spice again!
Recipe byAdri
Servings: 4 tablespoons
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes

Equipment

  • Use a spice or coffee grinder to grind whole spices. But I suggest ground spice alternatives if you don’t have a grinder.

Ingredients
 

  • 6 whole star anise pods (5 grams), or 1 tablespoon of ground star anise
  • 1 cinnamon stick (5 grams), or 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon fennel seeds, or 1 tablespoon ground fennel
  • 2 teaspoons Szechuan peppercorns (optional)
  • ½ teaspoon whole cloves (about 8), or ½ teaspoon ground cloves

Instructions

  • Break the cinnamon bark into smaller pieces. Add it to a spice grinder (or coffee grinder) along with the rest of the whole spices, and blitz into a fine powder.
  • Transfer the ground spices to an airtight container (or spice jar) and use it within a few months for the best flavour.

Notes

  • You can also toast your whole spices in a hot, dry pan before you grind them. It takes about three minutes.
  • If using the pre-ground spices, stir them together in a small bowl.
  • While the spice mix won't go off anytime soon, they start to lose their intensity as soon as they are ground. So, for the best flavour aim to use it within three months.