Star anise

八角 / bājiǎo; hồi

Flavor and role

A star-shaped fruit with 8 points, giving a sweet, strong liquorice-like aroma. Even a little is potent, so add only 1-2 to broths and braises.

Typical dishes and uses

Pho broth, hong shao rou, Dongpo pork, Taiwanese beef noodle soup, five-spice powder, masala chai. In this book: pho bo and beef noodle soup broths.

Substitutes

1 star anise = ¼ tsp five-spice powder or ½ tsp fennel seeds. If you have none, the dish still works without it.

Storage

Whole and airtight in a cool place, it keeps for 2 years or more. Replace it when the points crumble and the aroma is weak.

Main countries

China · Vietnam

Used in this book

Pho Bo (Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup)Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup (牛肉麵)Bunny Chow (Durban Chicken Curry in a Loaf)Beef rendangBone Broth Red-Braised Beef Noodle SoupBeef Noodle TsukemenRed-Braised Beef Rice BowlThai Iced Tea BobaDurban Lamb Bunny with Fresh-Ground MasalaHyderabadi Chicken Dum BiryaniDan Dan Noodles with Aromatic Red Oil and Fresh Sesame PasteMala Gamjatang (Sichuan-Spiced Pork Rib and Potato Stew)Toasted-Spice Kelewele with Roasted Groundnuts and Lime Chilli SaltHand-Cut Lu Rou Fan with Shiitake and Caramel BraiseSlow-Braised Beef Shin Massaman with Whole SpicesRed-Braised Osso Buco with Ginger-Scallion GremolataPhở Đặc Biệt with 4-Hour Oxtail BrothPhở French Dip SandwichPadang-style dry rendangThousand-Layer Scallion Pancakes with Homemade Scallion Oil

Updated 2026-10-10