Chinese Five-Spice Powder

Chinese five spice powder is a traditional blend of spices that are commonly used as a seasoning for Chinese and Vietnamese foods, and is made up of equal proportions of the following spices:

• cinnamon
• cloves
• fennel seeds
• star anise
• Szechwan peppercorns

Each spice is added to provide the five basic tastes: bitter, sweet, sour, salt and pungent, and the mixture has a spicy and slightly sweet flavour and a fragrant aroma. However, as star anise has the strongest flavour of these five spices, the mix tends to have a predominantly aniseed taste.

Chinese five spice powder is traditionally used to season Chinese spare ribs, and may also be used as a rub or marinade (with soy sauce and garlic) for chicken and pork dishes.