IMPORTANT FOR five-spice powder.

GOOD WITH poached chicken, fish, and seafood in court bouillon (a simple poaching broth), figs, tropical fruits, leeks, oxtail, pork, pumpkin, root vegetables.

COMBINES WELL WITH cassia cinnamon, chili, coriander, fennel seed, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, lime zest, Sichuan pepper, soy sauce, dried tangerine peel.

FLAVOR

It has flavors resembling fennel and anise. Star anise and anise seeds contain essential oils with anethole. Star anise provides notes of sweet licorice and robust warmth. The taste is bitter and sweet with a mild numbing effect, leaving a refreshing and pleasant aftertaste in the mouth.

USED AS whole pieces or ground into powder.

BUYING AND STORAGE

It is best to buy star anise whole or in pieces. Kept away from light, it can last up to a year in a well-sealed container. Purchase ground spice in smaller quantities, and it should retain its properties for more than 6 months.

USAGE IN CULINARY

In Chinese cuisine, star anise is used in soups and broths, marinades for steamed chicken and pork, and for 'red-cooked' chicken, duck, and pork - the meat gets a reddish-brown color from simmering in dark broth with added spices and soy sauce. Star anise also colors and flavors 'marbled tea eggs.'

It is a key ingredient in the Chinese five-spice powder. Vietnamese chefs also use it in braised dishes and broths, and in pho (beef noodle soup). The taste of star anise can be found in some dishes in Kerala in South India, and in some dishes in northern India, it can be used as a cheaper substitute for anise seeds.

In Western kitchens, it is rarely used, except for flavoring drinks like pastis (anise liqueur) and anisette (aniseed liqueur with licorice flavor), as well as in chewing gums and candies.

Enhancing the flavor of fish, seafood, and some fruit dishes, it expresses the sweetness of leeks, pumpkin, and root vegetables.

Today, chefs in the West use it to add flavor to fish and seafood, poaching syrups for figs and pears, and seasoning tropical fruits.

Illicium verum - Star Anise

Certainly the most beautiful spice, star anise originates from South China and Vietnam, where it has a long history of use in medicine and culinary arts.

In Europe, it became known somewhere in the 17th century, and old recipes suggest that it was used to flavor syrups, heart medicines, and preservatives.