Five spice powder is a staple of Chinese cooking. With the shrinking of the globe it's been incorporated into other Asian dishes and Western dishes as well. There is some disagreement as to whether five spice powder is because there is five spices in it or if it represents five elements of life: earth, fire, water, air, and metal; or the five basic cooking flavors: sweet, salty, savory (pungent), bitter and sour.
It's even said that it was originally used in Chinese medicine to restore the balance of the five elements in the Chi or the life energy in our bodies. Either way it is generally thought that the following five spices are present in equal amounts: ground cinnamon, cloves, star anise, Sichuan pepper and fennel. Some powder may contain other spices such as coriander seeds, cumin (instead of fennel seeds), black or green cardamom, and even nutmeg. Whatever blend of spices it has, it should be used sparingly as it can be overwhelming in flavor.
If you don't really want to use a commercial brand, you can make your own. Use any combination of the above mentioned spices in their whole forms and dry roast them separately in a hot skillet. Roast each spice separately until just fragrant since they roast at different times. Let them come to room temperature and grind them separately in batches in a coffee grinder designated only for spices. Grind each to a fine powder and blend together in a mixing bowl. Store in tightly covered glass jars or containers.
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