Star anise / anise

Flavour and aroma

liquorice, sweet, warm, slightly bitter. Sweet, intense liquorice.

Heat

No heat

Forms

whole, ground

How to use it

• toast · Toasting technique

  For pho and stocks, dry-toast whole stars in a pan for 1–2 minutes until fragrant before adding to the pot.

• infuse · Simmering technique

  Simmer 1–3 whole stars in braises, stocks, syrups or poaching liquid, then remove. It is strong: one star flavours about 1 litre.

• grind · Dry grinding technique

  Grind only small amounts; a little ground star anise easily overwhelms a dish.

• Vietnamese pho broth
• Chinese red-braised pork and master stocks
• Five-spice powder
• Biryani and garam masala
• Poached fruit and mulled wine

Identifying good quality

A woody, rust-brown, star-shaped fruit, usually with eight points, each holding a shiny brown seed. Whole stars with intact points smell strongly of liquorice; broken pieces lose aroma faster.

• Not to be confused with Anise seed: Anise seed is a small seed from an unrelated plant with a similar, softer aroma.

Origin and history

Origin: Southern China and northeastern Vietnam (Illicium verum).. Grown and used: Grown mainly in Guangxi (China) and northern Vietnam; used throughout Chinese, Vietnamese and other Southeast Asian cooking, and increasingly in Western cooking..

Star anise is a long-standing spice of southern Chinese cooking, central to red-cooked (hong shao) braises, master stocks and five-spice powder. In Vietnam it is an essential aromatic of pho broth. It is also the main commercial source of shikimic acid, the starting material for the influenza drug oseltamivir.

Well documented

In masalas, pastes and sauces

• Kerala (Malabar) garam masalaMasala5 g per batch
• Biryani masalaMasala3 g per batch
• Pav bhaji masalaMasala1 g per batch
• Chettinad masalaMasala2 g per batch
• Kolhapuri kanda-lasun masalaMasala2 g per batch
• Malvani masalaMasala2 g per batch
• Xacuti masalaMasala1 g per batch
• Chinese five-spice powderMasala8 g per batch
• Chinese plum sauceSauce2 g per batch
• Sichuan chilli oil (hong you)Sauce1 g per batch