Supercilious and fragrant cherry-candy-like scented cinnamon, sweet-liquorice star anise, mild anise-like fennel seeds, citrus Sichuan peppers and floral woody cloves meld together to make up this Five Spice.
Get your pecker to explode with flavours as you get this Five Spice into your orifice. And, quiver.
This dish will blow any doubts that vegan food is too difficult to conjure up.
Make this:
- When you’ve just got back from work and there are some odds and sod veg in the fridge and you fancy getting a little creative
- When you’ve got the lads over for a bevy and want to show off your Far East-esque cuisine skills – but in a powerful understated way
- When you fancy a Chinese night and adding a Five Spice will spruce up your masterpiece
My Five Spice recipe was conjured up when thoughts of shop brought didn’t cut it for particularly in the proportions that brought out the spices to perfection.
Cloves are an amazing natural anti-oxidant. Whereas the remaining ingredients pack in the aromas to this condiment. Often, referred to as Chinese Five Spice.
My own combo version uses more of the cinnamon and star anise and less of the Sichuan peppers and cloves which can be overpowering if used in larger quantities. comparatively. Well, that’s my personal view.
Chinese Five Spice is a blend of five spices traditionally used in Chinese cooking – forming the base for marinades, spice rub, braising and roasting. Aromatic and vegan it adds depth, warmth and complexity to dishes. It’s an integral part of Chinese cuisine dating to Ancient China. It’s essence is to be salty, sweet, sour, spicy and bitter – what more do you need to lift your dishes?
Five Spice is vegan and paleo.
What to do next
Tag me on @ethiveganquantum on Instagram to show me what you’ve made and let me know you’re happy for me to share.
My recipes are featured in vegan speciality publications: Nourished, Vegan Life, Plant Based and Vegan, Food and Living.
Order my first self-published book, “Essence: The Beginner’s Guide to Veganism” part of the three-part Circle of Food series. My second book “Presence: The Ascending Vegan” – which explores how to maintain a vegan practice is out in 2027 – I have compiled all the chapters including recipes.
Going strong since 2013.
Love.
Edward x
Ingredients
- 20g Cinnamon, sticks
- 20g Star Anise
- 1 tbs fennel seeds
- ½ tsp cloves of India
- ½ tsp Sichuan pepper
Instructions
- Cut the sticks into small pieces by hand and place in a larger frying pan.
- Add in the remaining ingredients.
- Toast the spices over a medium heat until the fennel seeds start to turn a golden brown. Twitch off the heat and keep toasting. Remove and place in a grinder.
- Grind the spices until fine.
- Place the five spices in a sealed jar.
