DIY Five Spice Blend

DIY Five Spice Blend

Have you ever used Five Spice Blend also known as Five Spice Powder in your cooking? If you like making Chinese cuisine, there’s a good chance you have! I’ve seen Five Spice Blend listed as an ingredient in everything from Chinese Chicken Salad, to duck and pork dishes… even cookies.

It’s a very versatile blend with a distinctive flavor that adds a lot to any dish. You can buy this blend at some grocery stores and at asian markets. But you can also make your own, and there’s a neat hack involving a plastic Parmesan Cheese Container.

There are many variations, but here’s what I used: anise seed, ground white pepper, ground cloves, ground cinnamon and fennel seed. Instead of white pepper, you can use roasted Szechaun peppercorns.

Step 1: Measure equal parts of the spices (I used 1/4 of each spice and the mixture fit perfectly in the 8oz jelly jar).

Step 2: Use a coffee grinder to grind them up, combining them.

3. Use a funnel to add them to a jelly jar.

4. Time to put a lid on it! Ok, here a useful kitchen hack. Don’t toss those plastic lids! You can use the lid from a Parmesan Cheese Container on an 8 oz glass jelly jar. It’s a perfect fit.

5. Download and print the labels: 5 Spice Blend Labels.

Season away!

Here’s another nifty lid hack idea:

Smart & Simple Coffee Station