Chinese 5 Spice Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is Chinese 5 spice made of? ›

What is five spice powder made of? Five spice is a blend of star anise, cloves, cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorns and fennel seeds. If you don't have Sichuan peppercorns to hand, you could substitute them for black peppercorns – the flavour will still be nice, although it won't have the same heat.

Whilst you're never going to get the classic flavour that Chinese 5 spice provides with a substitute, there are some seasonings that come pretty close. Star anise, allspice, garam masala, sichuan peppercorns and cinnamon sticks are all worthy replacements – but the real stuff is always best!

Although it's not spicy-hot, it is rather intense. “Less is more” is a good rule of thumb to use when cooking with it. With that in mind, feel free to experiment. It's such an easy way to add complex flavor to a dish, it's almost like cheating!

“I'd recommend a mixture of four parts ground cinnamon, one part ground cloves, one part nutmeg,” says CarlyFarine. Mix the three spices together and measure out as much allspice as your recipe calls for.

In the culinary arts, five spice (also known as Chinese five spice) is a blend of ground spices used in Chinese and Vietnamese cooking.

To start with, Chinese five spice is Chinese in origin. Seven spice powder is Japanese, and also called shichimi togarashi. Unlike Five Spice, Seven spice's foundation is comprised of chilis, dried orange peel, sesame seed, dried ginger, and seaweed, as well as Sichuan peppercorns.

Chinese Five Spice is flavorful but not particularly spicy. It offers a harmonious blend of sweet, sour, bitter, umami, and spicy flavors. The heat mainly comes from Sichuan peppercorns.

No, you can't. They have dissimilar and incompatible flavor profiles. Chinese five spice is made with cinnamon, cloves, fennel, star anise, and Szechuan peppercorns. Of these, only cinnamon and cloves are common with Garam Masala.

The Thai equivalent of the Chinese five spice or the Indian garam masala, this is an all-purpose seasoning blend which is used in Thai style stir fries to bring out the full flavour of the food.

The Health Benefits of Five-Spice:

It is a rich source of vitamin A, carotenes, and pyridoxine. It is also a good source of minerals like potassium, copper, and iron (a vital substance in hemoglobin which carries the oxygen within red blood vessels). Cinnamon is anabolic in action.

Is all purpose seasoning the same as Chinese 5 spice? ›

Five spice is a mix of fennel, clove, anise, cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorn (some Chinese add several other spices, considering “five spice” more of a concept than a hard rule). Allspice is ground up pimento berry… while it reminds of several other spices it's actually just a single spice.

Homemade spice blends like this Chinese five spice don't last quite as long as the store-bought versions because they don't have any preservatives. This spice blend will last up to 6 months when stored correctly!

Garam Masala + Star Anise

For an even closer match add some ground star anise to your garam masala. Start with 1/4 teaspoon ground star anise and 3/4 teaspoons garam masala for 1 teaspoon of Chinese 5-spice.

Mix one teaspoon of ground cinnamon with one teaspoon of ground star anise, a teaspoon of ground fennel (also called soomph powder), a pinch of ground cloves, and a pinch of ground white pepper. Use this ground cinnamon mix as a direct substitute for Chinese five-spice.

Allspice, also known as Jamaica pepper, myrtle pepper, pimenta, or pimento, is the dried unripe berry of Pimenta dioica, a midcanopy tree native to the Greater Antilles, southern Mexico, and Central America, now cultivated in many warm parts of the world.

While you're unlikely to eat enough Chinese 5 Spice to derive great nutritional benefits from it, the spices included in this mix are rich in antioxidants and are also a terrific source of minerals such as copper, iron, and manganese.

No, you can't. They have dissimilar and incompatible flavor profiles. Chinese five spice is made with cinnamon, cloves, fennel, star anise, and Szechuan peppercorns. Of these, only cinnamon and cloves are common with Garam Masala.

Allspice is the dried brown berry of the tropical Pimenta dioica tree, a clove relative native to the West Indies and Central America. It got its name in the 17th century, when allspice berries were first imported to Europe, since it's said to taste like a combination of clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg.