5 spices powder is a robust sweet and spicy seasoning used in most of the Chinese dishes. you can totally buy a store-bought version of this blend that you can find in grocery stores under Asian food section but in my opinion the flavor of the homemade one is incomparable.
Ingredients
1whole star anise
1stick cinnamon broke into pieces
12whole cloves
1tbspfennel seeds
1tbspwhole Sichuan peppercorn
Instructions
Step 01: preheat a pan over medium-high heat with no oil at all, roast anise stars, cinnamon sticks and whole cloves until you start to smell the fragrance, stirring occasionally (4-5min)
Then remove from pan and set aside, and do the same with fennel seeds and Sichuan peppercorn for around 2-3 min until fragrance.
Step 02: let it cool down completely than grind it in a coffee grinder or any grinder you have.
Store in a small glass jar and enjoy in your favorite Asian dishes.
Notes
For a good substitution for the Sichuan peppercorn: nothing will replace the Sichuan unique floral lemony taste but this blend is actually the closet thing, just roast instead of the Sichuan peppercorn 2 tsp of whole black pepper with the fennel seeds. and when you want to grind all the spices add ½ tsp chili + ½ tsp ginger to the mix. In a simpler way: 1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorn = 2 tsp black pepper+1/2 tsp ginger powder + ½ tsp chili pepper
Pepper lend for meat marinade: for each 2 kg of meat or chicken you need approx. 1 tbsp of the Chinese blend.