Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns*
6 star anise
1 1/2 teaspoons whole cloves
One 3 inch stick cinnamon or cassia
2 Tablespoons fennel seeds
Directions:
Put in a dry skillet over medium heat, dry roast until fragrant, do not burn them. Crush in a mortar and pestle or grind together in a spice/coffee grinder or food processor until a fine powder. You can sift through a sieve to remove any large chunks that weren’t fully ground. Store in air tight container in a cool place, use as needed.
Feel free to add other spices such as cardamom, ginger, mustard, fenugreek, or cumin. Try different spices for different dishes and tastes.
* I used black peppercorns because I didn’t have sichuan peppercorns easily available. Using black peppercorns will give it a different taste, but it still works fine.
Here are a few recipes that use five spice powder and sound delicious, although many of the recipes you already use might be enhanced with a little added. If you do add it to existing recipes add it a pinch at a time as the powder can be powerful if too much is added.
Mix the powder with some sea salt to make a rub for meats, poultry and fish, or with oil for a marinade or add to a vinaigrette, stir fry, soup, or vegetable dish.
