Apartment Therapy The Kitchn | New Secret Ingredient: Star Anise

New Secret Ingredient: Star Anise

We keep star anise on-hand in our kitchen and typically use it in savory braises and when poaching fruit. Recently, it's become our secret ingredient in a few of our other basic dishes. Find out which ones after the jump!

At some point, we realized that star anise pairs really well with tomatoes. It's licorice-y flavor actually bears a close resemblance to that of basil, tomato's classic companion. A single pod of star anise flavors a tomato-based sauce or stew with a warm, spicy undertone without overpowering the other flavors in the dish, adding a little 'je ne sais quoi' to your dish.

Give it a try next time you make these recipes!

Basic Tomato Sauce
Ratatouille
Creamy Creamless Tomato Soup
Cincinnatti Chili
Old-Fashioned Sloppy Joes

Oh, just don't forget to discard the star anise pod before serving!

How do you use star anise in your cooking?

(Image: Emma Christensen for the Kitchn)

Comments (3)

I would disagree that star anise was a secret---and certainly it isn't now, so far as readers of this blog are concerned.

It's also very nice to add to many soups---one star or two, depending on the amount of soup.

posted by Leisureguy on October 15th 2008 at 1:43pm
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My mom use to braise chicken in a pot with 2 - 3 star anises, shoyu, brown sugar & oil. Sounds greasy, but the end result is a savory yummy dish she would serve with gohan (rice) and some greens.

posted by umeboshi on October 15th 2008 at 6:14pm
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It's also very good as a tea if you have an upset stomach.

posted by Haunted_Studio on October 17th 2008 at 11:03am
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