I've used this "mix" and it does work for making certain Chinese styled sauces/recipes but I can't quite recreate it from basic spices?

I'd rather add cinnamon, star anise etc rather than use a pre-made mix... but some how it doesn't have the same punch !

Five spice mix as far as I know should be a mix of 5 spices ! (clue is in the name) so looking on the jar -

Sugar

Salt

Dried onion

Star anise

black pepper

ginger

cassia (which is nearly cinnamon)

cloves

Well if use actual onions softened in pan, add real garlic, real ginger then ground star anise, fennel, cloves, salt, pepper and a cinnamon(or cassia bark)plus a spoon of sugar it just doesn't seem to have the same strong punchy flavour !

Could this extra hit be the dried onion and dried garlic powder used in the jar mix? Or could it be I need to use a whole lot more star anise and fennel?

I'm leaning towards the star anise/fennel increase to be honest...

any thoughts ?

Steve

true Chinese five spice contains the following:

cloves

cassia

fennel seed

star anise

Szechuan pepper

mixed in more or less equal amounts.

Think of it as a Chinese equivalent of garam masala (the real stuff, not the bought varieties!). In fact, the Chinese five spice powder may pre-date garam masala. Other countries have their own, culminating in Morocco's Ras el Hanout.

Other spices are sometimes added to Chinese five spice, like dried root ginger, green cardamom and/or licorice.

Forget the other ingredients you mentioned, they are just fillers, like coriander seed in garam masala.

thanks for that Lapis, will stock up on star anise and at some point give it a go...

Steve

Hi Steve,

Just to agree with Lapis and spoken to a Chinese friend, true 'five spice' should be star anise, fennel seeds, cloves, cassia (although normal cinnamon can be substituted) and Szechuan Pepper.

However as with Garam Masala with Indian families, Chinese matriarchs will all have their own interpretations as to proportions and additions, usually ginger or ground cardamom pods, so really is a 'six spice!' However is should be the flavour and aroma of the star anise that should predominate. You need to adjust to find your own 'yin and yang' balance!

To use some salt should be dry fried until it changes colour then added to the already prepared 5 (or 6!) spice powder.

Good luck! Don't like posting links (makes me feel rather lazy) but this one could be useful:

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cookbook:Five_spice_powder

Thanks for that, think I'll up the star anise and fennel next time I give it a go...

Steve

Well I think I've cracked it !

Thanks for the help... it was indeed the amount of star anise/fennel...

Made a sauce last night that was just like our local takeaways curry sauce...

(its harder than you think to make it, as theirs isn't normal curry like you make Indian curry... its not even normal like a Chinese Chef and home cooking either... )

I've got to go on the other pc to upload my photos then I can send the recipe !

Steve

Will wait for it :-)!

Mamta

not for long !... lol

Steve

Because this is only a revised/altered version of my previous recipe its not showing as recently added! So if anyone is interested in Chinese Takeaway curry sauce here is my new version -

Chinese Curry Sauce like you get from the takeaway 2

Thanks to Mamta for adding it so quickly !

Steve