Chinese Five Spice Mixture

• 8 whole star anises
• 2 teaspoons Sichuan toasted peppercorns
• 2 teaspoons fennel s

One 3-inch cinnamon sticks or cassia broken into pieces.

Grind all the ingredients to a fine powder in a spice grinder. Keep in a sealed jar in a cool place.

This mix represents, wood, metal, water, fire and earth. Individually they are pungent, fragrant, hot, mild, slightly sweet.