Star anise is essential to Chinese cuisine and indispensable to five-spice powder. In South India, it may be added to a biryani and used in versions of garam masala. Vietnamese pho would be incomplete without its distinctive flavour. as well. Anise and fennel seeds are largely interchangeable in Asian cooking. If using an anise-based liqueur, add the lightest drizzle to avoid overwhelming a dish.
The unmistakable herby liquorice flavour of anise derives from the powerful anethole compound. Spice pairingsStar anise shares the anethole flavour compound with anise, fennel, and liquorice,
even though they are from unrelated plants. Anethole is 13 times sweeter than table sugar, and gives the spice its sweetness. The overall flavour profile is more complex than that of other anethole spices, and features linalool’s alluring floral flavour.
