I love the idea of the Chinese 5-spice mixture, which I first encountered thanks to Matthew Thomas while in South Africa. But over time I was disappointed in the commercial versions – they were somehow a single note and the one note tended to be too much nutmeg or some other spice. There was also always a slight bitterness. Plus, there was no variety – it was all the same consistency of powder. So I started researching and experimenting. This is the result.
For a quick and very tasty dinner, I sprinkle this on quartered/sliced bananas before frying them, and then place those banana slices on top of a good quality slice of ham, seared quickly in a little bit of water and brown sugar (not much water – you want the mixture to caramelize – I just spray the bottom of the cast iron pan and sprinkle some brown or raw sugar in the pan, then turn on the heat and add the ham slices, and brown them quickly).
Anyway, this is a very interesting version of Chinese spices and can be made up in advance in a fairly large batch; I often make 3x the amount shown here. The bowl spices provide variation in the consistency.
All measurements below = T equals a Tablespoon, t equals a teaspoon.
Mix in a bowl:
1 T raw sesame seeds
5 turns of ground cinnamon (about 1/4 t)
1/2 t granulated garlic
1T dark brown sugar (Stop & Shop is good, or Dark Muscavado)
If you want it a little hotter, add 1/8 t of pre-ground ginger
Place into a grinder:
1 T plus 1 t of coriander seeds
3/4 T of sea salt
4 cloves
1 cardamom seed
1 t fennel seeds
1/2 t anise seed
1/2 t black pepper corns, roasted quickly in a DRY cast iron skillet until they are well-heated
Grind these up until they are fine, but not super fine. Combine them with the spices in the bowl, mixing until well-blended. Store in an airtight container.
Here’s a picture of the final mix:
And here’s a picture of the spice sprinkled on to the frying bananas, just before I turned them over:
You can make a nice compliment to a savory breakfast (such as hash browns with onions, with a fried egg on top), by frying up these bananas and then adding warmed blueberries or blueberry filling over the bananas, two slices each person.