Star Anise
Star anise is the star-shaped dried fruit of an evergreen tree, with a strong, sweet, licorice-like flavor used whole or ground in savory braises and sweet spice blends across Chinese and Vietnamese cooking.
How to buy
Look for whole, intact stars that are reddish-brown and still have most of their points, with visible seeds inside each pod. Avoid dusty, broken, or pale pieces, which signal age or lower quality. Ground star anise exists but loses potency fast, so whole is generally the better buy.
How to store
Keep whole pods in an airtight container in a cool, dark pantry, where they'll hold their flavor for a couple of years. Once ground, use within a few months, since the powder fades quickly.
Culinary profile
- Flavor
- Strongly sweet and licorice-like with warm, slightly spicy undertones. Its anethole compound gives it a flavor similar to, but more potent than, anise seed and fennel, and a little goes a long way in a dish.
- Texture
- Hard and woody whole, typically left intact and simmered rather than eaten, then removed before serving, though ground versions blend invisibly into spice mixes.
- Aroma
- An intensely sweet, warm, licorice-like aroma that can perfume a whole pot of broth from just one or two pods.
How to prepare
- Simmered whole — Steeped in liquid for long-cooked braises and soups, then removed before serving.
- Ground into spice blends — A core component of Chinese five-spice powder.
- Steeped in syrup — Simmered with sugar and water to flavor syrups for poaching fruit or making cocktails.
- Toasted briefly — Warmed in a dry pan to wake up its aroma before adding it to a dish.
Classic dishes
American
- Mulled wine — Red wine warmed with citrus, cinnamon, and star anise for a fragrant winter drink.
Chinese
- Chinese five-spice powder — A warming spice blend built around star anise alongside cinnamon, clove, fennel, and pepper.
- Hong shao rou — Red-cooked braised pork belly simmered with star anise, soy sauce, and sugar.
- Lu wei master stock — A reusable braising liquid built heavily on star anise, used to simmer meats and eggs.
- Tea eggs — Hard-boiled eggs steeped in a tea and soy liquid scented strongly with star anise.
- Lu rou fan — A Taiwanese braised pork rice dish whose sauce gets its warmth from star anise.
- Braised duck — Whole duck slow-braised in a soy and spice liquid anchored by star anise.
- Beef noodle soup — A rich braised beef broth whose depth comes partly from simmered star anise.
Indian
- Biryani — Some regional garam masala blends used in layered biryani include star anise for depth.
French
- Spiced poached pears — Pears gently poached in a sugar syrup infused with star anise and spices.
Thai
- Massaman curry — A rich, Persian-influenced Thai curry whose spice paste includes star anise among its warm spices.
Vietnamese
- Pho broth — A fragrant beef noodle soup broth perfumed with charred onion, ginger, and star anise.
- Thit kho — Caramelized pork and eggs braised in a coconut-water-based sauce scented with star anise.
German
- Gluhwein — A German mulled wine often spiced with cinnamon, clove, and star anise.
British & Irish
- Mulled cider — Warm apple cider spiced with cinnamon and star anise, popular in colder months.