Chinese Thirteen Spice Powder

Shi San Xiang Fen (十三香粉)

Chinese Thirteen Spice Powder is one of the most complex flavorful spice-mixes you can add to your culinary arsenal of ingredients – even just small amount can boost the aromatic flavor of any dish.

The actual 13 spices used in Chinese Thirteen Spice Powder are somewhat mysterious in nature as the powder is one of the most diverse mixes with no clear answer as to what spices are standard. There are dozens of spice combinations and the chefs who make their own Thirteen Spice Powder often have wildly different ingredients. However, a good place to start is with a Five Spice Base.

The basis of Chinese Five Spice is usually Star Anise, Cinnamon, Cloves, Fennel Seeds, and Sichuan Pepper. However, these are quite interchangeable and in the following recipe certain ingredients have been increased slightly to stand out among all the other flavors. Nutmeg can be swapped for Cloves for a slightly different aromatic twist. Long Peppers, which are long black peppercorn pods, or White Pepper can be exchanged for Sichuan Pepper to avoid adding a sizzling flavor (麻) to the powder. Recipes will often include freshly ground Sichuan pepper, so you won’t really lose anything by swapping it for another type of peppercorn.

Aside from a Five Spice Base, Chinese Thirteen Spice will utilize plenty of dried Aromatic Roots – most of which are related to Ginger. These aromatic roots are quite interchangeable and their purpose is often to add spicy, earthy flavors to the powder. Following this are Peels, Pods, and Leaves which add fruity and floral notes – many of the pods used are variations of cardamom. These will also add a slight bitterness and acidity, which is why Chinese Thirteen Spice Powder is usually used in Stewed and Red Braised Dishes (烧菜品和红烧菜品). The sweetness, saltiness, and umami of these dishes offset any bitterness allowing the aromatics to shine through.

It’s best to toast and grind the spices a few at a time based on the type of spices. This will offer more control over the temperature, reduce the risk of burning the spices, and grind the spices more evenly. Remember, it's better to under toast than to burn the spices, so take your time, use a low heat, and be patient. If you would like to toast the spices a bit more evenly and with a bit more control, you can also use an oven at low heat. The oven method is much slower than the wok and not traditional, though it achieves the same result.

Ingredients

Chinese Five Spice Base
5 whole Star Anise
2 sticks of Cinnamon
1 tsp. of whole Cloves OR 3 Nutmeg
1/8 cup Fennel Seeds
2 tsp. Sichuan Pepper OR 3 Long Peppers (毕拨Indian Long Pepper; no sizzling sensation) OR 1 tsp. whole White Peppercorns

Aromatic Roots
2 Tbsp. Sand Ginger (山奈)
2 4-inch-long strips of dried Galangal (良姜)
1/8 cup of Spikenard Root (甘松; spicy-earthy flavor) OR 1/8 cup of Dried Ginger Pieces (spicy-earthy flavor) OR 2 Tbsp. of Costus Root (木香; strong flavor) OR 1/8 cup of Angelica Root (earthy flavor)

Peels, Pods, and Leaves
2 Rose Apples (香果; fruity slightly floral flavor) OR 2 – 4 dried Tangerine Peels (citrusy flavor)
10 Bay Leaves
2 Amomum villosum Pods (砂仁)
10 White Cardamom Pods (白蔻)
3 Caokou (草寇)

Seeds
1 Tbsp. Sesame Seeds (Optional)

Directions

1.) Place all of the Five Spice Base (Star Anise, Cinnamon, Cloves, Fennel Seeds, and Sichuan Pepper) into a wok or skillet and heat on low gently tossing occasionally until the spices are fragrant.

(USE your nose! DO NOT burn the spices. The purpose of toasting is just to deepen the flavor slightly and not to cook the spices).

2.) Once smelling nice, pour the Five Spice Base ingredients into a blender or spice grinder and blend until a fine powder is achieved.

(Optionally, you can sift the ground spices through a wire strainer to remove any large, hard pieces that wouldn't blend and to achieve a finer powder. But this is unnecessary as long as the powder is fine enough and won't affect the flavor. It's merely aesthetic, but I'd recommend it).

3.) Pour the Five Spice Base powder into a large bowl.

4.) Toast the Aromatic Roots (Sand Ginger, Galangal, and Spikenard) in a wok on low heat, tossing often, until fragrant. Pour these spices into a blender and blend until an ultra-fine powder is achieved. Pour these spices into the bowl with the Five Spice Base.

5.) Smash all of the pods with the side of a heavy cleaver. Then, toast the Peels, Pods, and Leaves (Rose Apples, Bay Leaves, Amomum Pods, White Cardamum, and Caokou) in a wok on low heat, tossing often, until fragrant. Pour these spices into a blender and blend until an ultra-fine powder is achieved. Pour the spices into the bowl with the other powders.

(I highly recommend passing everything through a mesh sieve to achieve a finer powder. Any remaining pieces can be returned to the blender, blended, and once more passed through the sieve).

6.) If using, also toast the Sesame Seeds in a wok on low heat, tossing often, until fragrant. Pour them into a blender and roughly blend just enough to coarsely chop them. Pour them into the bowl with the seasonings.

(The Sesame Seeds can be coarsely ground, finely ground, or left whole, depending on one’s preference. These are a very optional ingredient which are not always present in Chinese Thirteen Spice, but do pair well with it).

7.) Mix everything in the bowl with a whisk until mixed completely. Store the Chinese Thirteen Spice Powder in an airtight jar. The Chinese Thirteen Spice should keep its flavor for about two months, but is best within the first month of making. This recipe makes about 1 1/4 – 1 1/3 cup of seasoning. Chinese Thirteen Spice Powder has a slight bitterness that needs to be offset by sweetness, saltiness, and umami, so keep this in mind when using it in various dishes.

 

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