Star Anise: Flavor, Use in Pho and Five-Spice Powder

What does star anise taste like?

Star anise smells strongly of anise, with a warm, slightly woody note. The aroma comes from anethole, the same compound found in aniseed and fennel. Star anise tastes rounder and less sharp than aniseed, though. In a dish you taste it as a sweetish depth that ties together meat and soy sauce. Too much tips into the medicinal.

Origin and appearance

Farmers pick the fruits unripe and dry them in the sun. Each fruit usually has eight points, and a shiny brown seed sits in each chamber. The aroma is mostly in the husk, not the seed. The main growing areas are in southern China and northern Vietnam.

Important when buying: Japanese star anise (Illicium anisatum) looks almost the same but is toxic. It smells more resinous than of anise. So buy star anise as a food item from the spice shelf, not as decorative goods from craft supplies or for potpourri.

Uses: pho, braises, five-spice

You add star anise whole to liquid and let it steep for a long time. One to two stars are enough for a liter of broth or braising sauce. Fish them out again before serving.

• Pho: For the broth of Phở Bò you toast star anise briefly in a dry pan with a cinnamon stick, cloves and coriander seeds and hang the spices in the broth in a bag. The chicken version Phở Gà is seasoned the same way, only more sparingly.
• Red braising: In Hong shao rou pork belly braises with soy sauce, sugar, rice wine and one star of anise. The Taiwanese Lu rou fan works on the same principle. Light and dark soy sauce explains which soy sauce brings the color.
• Master stocks: The Chinese master stock lu shui, in which dishes such as Lu shui ya cook, is built on star anise, cinnamon and soy sauce.
• Sweets and drinks: In Europe, star anise ends up in mulled wine, plum compote and Christmas baking.

Five-spice powder

Chinese five-spice powder classically consists of star anise, Sichuan pepper, cinnamon or cassia, fennel seeds and cloves. To mix it yourself, finely grind 4 stars, 1 tsp Sichuan pepper, 1 tsp fennel seeds, 6 cloves and a 5 cm (2 in) piece of cassia bark. Toast the whole spices first for a minute in a dry pan until fragrant. The blend seasons pork, duck and marinades for the grill.

Star anise, anise and fennel: the difference

Botanically the three have nothing to do with each other. Anise and fennel are members of the umbel family; star anise grows on a tree of the Schisandraceae family. What they share is anethole, which is why they smell related. Aniseed tastes sweeter and stronger, fennel seed milder and greener. Star anise brings the most warmth and withstands long cooking times best.

Dosing it right

A whole star releases its aroma completely within two to three hours of braising. In quickly cooked dishes, break it into single points so it works faster. Use ground star anise only in knife tips, for example for marinades or baking. If a dish tastes too strongly of anise, more liquid, a little sugar or a splash of vinegar helps.

Substitutes for star anise

• Aniseed: Half a teaspoon of whole aniseed replaces roughly one star. In broths, tie it in a tea strainer.
• Fennel seeds: the same amount as aniseed, tastes milder.
• Five-spice powder: fits braises but brings cinnamon and pepper along. Begin with half a teaspoon.

For pho there is no equal substitute. Without star anise the broth tastes like beef soup, not like pho.

Buying and storing

You find whole stars on the spice shelf of almost every supermarket, especially around Christmas. At an Asian grocery store you buy larger bags more cheaply. Look for whole, reddish-brown stars with little breakage. It is better not to buy ground star anise; it loses its aroma after a few months.

Whole stars keep two to three years in a dark, airtight jar. Smell them: when the anise scent hardly comes through anymore, replace them. Star anise is one of the spices that shouldn't be missing from an Asian pantry list, because it keeps so long.