5 Spice Powder

Five spice powder is a commonly used spice in Asian cooking. It encompasses the five different tastes of sweet, sour, bitter, salty and pungent. It helps to liven up food and is used commonly in cooking of pork, duck and other fatty meats. It is also used often in fried rice dishes.

3 tablespoons cinnamon
6 star anise or 2 teaspoons anise seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Place all spices in a blender, spice mill, or coffee grinder until of powdery consistency. Use as you would 5 spice powder in your recipes. The freshness of home blended spice mixes is superior to store bought mixes.

I always enjoy making my mixes fresh.  Another spice mix I use a lot is my curry blend.

Photo by Blackberrylaw (Troy Pickard) [CC-BY-SA-2.5 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons