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What Is Chinese five spice powder and How Can I Use It?

Here's everything worth knowing about chinese five spice powder and how to pick it, what it is, how to store it, and what to use instead, plus 95 recipes to cook tonight.

chinese five spice powder

What is chinese five spice powder?

Five spice powder is used extensively in chinese cooking.

This pungent mixture of five ground spices usually consists of equal parts of cinnamon, cloves, fennel seed, star anise, and szechuan peppercorns.

Prepackaged five-spice powder is available in Asian markets and most supermarkets.

You can easily make your own from whole spices which results in a much fresher and significantly more flavourful spice mixture.

The five spices used in five spice powder

See this: Homemade Five Spice Powder recipe for details on making your own five spice blend.

Where found

Chinese five spice powder is usually found in the spices section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

In Chinese:中国五香粉
British (UK) term:
en français:chinois poudre aux cinq épices
en español:chino polvo de cinco especias

Recipes using chinese five spice powder

There are 95 recipes that contain this ingredient.

Five Spice Roast Chicken

Five Spice Roast Chicken

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Five spice roast chicken rubs cut-up chicken with garlic and warm Chinese five-spice, then roasts it over potatoes, carrots, and onion so the vegetables soak up every drop of the spiced drippings. A complete one-pan dinner.

Cabbage & Shiitake Pot Sticky Buns

Cabbage & Shiitake Pot Sticky Buns

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After a few potsticker recipes, I finally made my very first bunch of pot sticky buns (another popular food in China). They came out soft, and quite delicious. Nicely browned and crispy at the bottom. It's an excellent way to use up some of our fresh veggies.

Oriental Rhubarb Jam

Oriental Rhubarb Jam

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Rhubarb jam with Chinese five-spice, crystallized ginger, and a whisper of hot sauce. Tart-sweet preserve with warm spice and gentle heat, perfect on toast or alongside roast pork.

Moo Shu-Style Grilled Chicken

Moo Shu-Style Grilled Chicken

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Fantastic. I cooked it for my parents. My mother said it was very aromatic, my father just finished before I started to eat. It was a fun lunch. Thanks!

Comfy Winter Squash & Apple Soup

Comfy Winter Squash & Apple Soup

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Vegan winter squash and apple soup with butternut squash, sweet potato, apples, and a Chinese five-spice kick. Eight ingredients, naturally creamy, perfect fall comfort food.

Potstickers (??)

Potstickers (??)

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Making pot stickers are pretty much as same as making dumplings, the only thing different is how to cook them. Instead of boiling in the water, we fry them in a nonstick skillet with a bit oil, which really develops a layer of golden, brown and crispy bottoms with great texture. Serve these yummy pot stickers with a mixture of rice vinegar, a little bit soy sauce, a dash of sesame oil and splash of hot pepper oil.

Budget: Asian Spiced Orange Pork Ribs

Budget: Asian Spiced Orange Pork Ribs

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Side ribs are cheaper than back ribs - there is lots of bone, but you can still get nice portions of meat.

Cola Barbecued Ribs

Cola Barbecued Ribs

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These delicious cola barbecued ribs will for sure satisfy your tummy.

California-Style Flank Steak

California-Style Flank Steak

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Grilled flank steak rubbed with garlic paste, chili powder, Chinese five spice, and ginger. Marinate for 2 hours, grill for 18 minutes, and serve up bold, smoky slices.

Kung Pao Tofu

Kung Pao Tofu

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This kung pao tofu was very tasty. I used two green bell peppers and 1 red bell peppers. Didn't have oyster sauce, so I used housin sauce, and it worked deliciously well.

Asian Beef & Noodle Soup

Asian Beef & Noodle Soup

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Ready in 15 minutes flat, quick and hearty Asian beef noodle soup.

Wok-Seared Mahi Mahi with Stir-Fried Vegetables

Wok-Seared Mahi Mahi with Stir-Fried Vegetables

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Wok-Seared Mahi Mahi with Stir-Fried Vegetables recipe

Crispy Chicken Wings

Crispy Chicken Wings

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These crunchy chicken wings are great to entertain friends or have as a side during dinner!

P.F. Chang's Roasted Chicken Cantonese Style

P.F. Chang's Roasted Chicken Cantonese Style

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A copycat recipe of a popular chinese chain in the US. The method used creates a super crispy skin for this roast chicken.

Anise Chicken for Two

Anise Chicken for Two

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A very easy and fairly quick one pot meal that's perfect when you're in a hurry. Chunks of chicken and rice seasoned with star anise and Chinese five spice powder. Yum.

Chinese: Stir-Fry Pork & Peppers

Chinese: Stir-Fry Pork & Peppers

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Quick Chinese pork stir-fry with bell peppers, mushrooms and water chestnuts in five-spice marinade, finished with cornstarch-thickened sauce over rice.

Chinese Five Spice Tilapia

Chinese Five Spice Tilapia

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Quick to prepare, great flavor. The fish takes on a caramel color on the outside, and stays flakey white on the inside, which creates a nice appearance.

Hoisin-Sesame Sauce

Hoisin-Sesame Sauce

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Rich and dense sauce that's perfect for shrimp, scallops or salmon.

Chinese Country Beef Short Ribs

Chinese Country Beef Short Ribs

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Slow cooked beef short ribs that simply fall off the bone in a delicious Chinese style barbecue sauce. Packed with flavor and nearly hands-free preparation using your slow cooker or Crockpot.

Crisp Roasted Pig's Head

Crisp Roasted Pig's Head

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Crisp roasted pig's head, Chinese-style: rubbed with five-spice, brown bean sauce and bourbon, then slow-roasted and basted with honey until the skin lacquers into shattering crackling.

Chinese Beef Stew

Chinese Beef Stew

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Chunks of beef slowly braised in an authentic Chinese manner. Nearly any tough cut of beef can be made magically tender and flavorful with this technique.

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Barbecued Pork Strips

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Chinese-style char siu pork strips marinated in soy sauce, hoisin, five spice, rice wine, and red bean curd, then oven-roasted and glazed with honey. Serve as a main course or slice thin for appetizers.

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Pork-Ribs in Delicious Sauce

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Chinese-style pork ribs marinated in five-spice, soy, and sesame, then deep-fried until crispy and glazed with a sweet-savory tomato-laced sauce. A takeout classic worth making at home.

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Five Spice Plum Sorbet

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Five spice plum sorbet purees canned plums with dry sherry and Chinese five spice powder, then churns into a fragrant Asian-inspired summer sorbet. Five ingredients, no added sugar.

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Harbor Village Bbq Pork

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Harbor Village BBQ pork is char siu done right: pork shoulder marinated in five-spice and soy, roasted, then brushed with a glossy maltose glaze for that sticky, sweet-savory dim sum classic.

All 95 recipes

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