Each month we and our Healthy Supplies friends discuss the top ten ways to use one of our ingredients.
This month we are looking at the dainty aromatic Star Anise. We asked the Healthy Supplies team, celebrity chef Gurpareet Bains and one of our favourite food bloggers Andy Hunting.
Add star anise to water when poaching apricots to give them an intensely exotic flavour. - Gurpareet Bains, Celebrity Chef
Create your own herbal teas by mixing star anise, cinnamon and liquorice root - Brendan Fernandes, Owner of Healthy Supplies.
Bake a taste explosion by combining star anise, stem ginger, double cream, vanilla pods, egg yolks and sugar to create a spicey creme brulee. - Gary Lurcock, Chef
Star anise plays a key part in oriental dishes, it is one of the spices that make up chinese 5 spice, which makes a delicious meat marinade. - Tina Manahai-Mahai
Star anise is a brilliant addition to curries, simply put in when simmering the sauce and remove before serving. - Beccy Starnes
Create a tipple with a twist by adding a star anise to a bottle of vodka! Spicy Cosmopolitans anyone? Andy Hunting, owner of Andy's Kitchen
Star Anise is a major componant of garam masala: a pivotal ingredient in indian cooking! - Brendan Fernandes, Owner of Healthy Supplies
Introduce star anise into baking by adding ground star anise into cakes along with nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon to create a christmassy flavour. - Tina Manahai-Mahai.
Add a couple of star anise to a small pot of sugar, leave sealed for a week and enjoy liquorice sugar! Great to sprinkle onto dishes and used to sweeten herbal tea! - Andy Hunting, owner of Andy's kitchen.
Enjoy star anise combined with plum, cinnamon and xylitol to make a fruity compote. Delicious with greek yoghurt. - Gary Lurcock, Chef