Ingredients 101: Star Anise

Classification
Dark-brown dried fruit from a small evergreen tree or bush. It is star-shaped and has seeds present in each of its eight segments.

Flavor
It has a strong licorice like flavor and aroma similar to regular anise, only stronger. Its pungent flavor is due to the presence of essential oils present in the walls of the star anise.

Cooking
Star anise is usually added whole (not broken into pieces) and discarded before serving.

Substitutes
A good substitute for meat dishes with a gravy base is Chinese five spice powder. Chinese five spice powder is made by mixing five spices – Szechuan peppercorn powder, cinnamon powder, ground star anise, ground cloves, and ground fennel seeds.

If you are making a dish that calls for whole star anise, you can use equal measures of aniseed and fennel seeds. Aniseed has a flavor and aroma that is very much similar to that of star anise. Fennel seeds have a milder and sweeter taste. By using both these spices together, you can replicate the flavor of star anise in your dish.

Recipes
Beef Noodles