Chinese Five-Spice Blend

The Chinese use five-spice sparingly in long-cooked stews and braises, as a rub for roasted meat and in marinades for grilled meat and poultry. It’s well worth making your own since ready-made brands vary so much in flavour and quality.

The number five has special significance in Chinese culture and cooking. It’s seen in the five basic flavours essential to Chinese food: sweet, sour, salty, bitter and hot, and in the elements of the cosmos which these particular spices are believed