1. Sichuan peppercorn — 花椒

Not a peppercorn at all, despite the name. Hua jiao is the dried husk of the prickly ash berry, and it is the spice that gives Sichuan cooking its signature tingle. The Chinese call this sensation ma (麻): a slight numbness on the tongue, a citrus-pine perfume in the nose, a vibration somewhere between taste and electricity.

Toast the husks dry in a pan for thirty seconds before grinding. They wake up. Use them with restraint — a quarter teaspoon goes a long way.

2. Star anise — 八角

The eight-pointed star is the warm sweet anchor of Chinese braises. Ba jiao contains anethole, the same compound that flavours fennel, anise, and licorice. Two whole pods are usually enough to perfume an entire pot of red-braised pork or beef. Drop them in whole at the start and fish them out before serving.

3. Cassia bark — 桂皮

What you buy as “cinnamon” in the West is usually Ceylon cinnamon — pale, papery, sweet. Chinese cooking uses cassia, which comes from a related tree. Gui pi is darker, woodier, more peppery, and stands up to long simmers without disappearing. A single thick piece will carry a master stock for hours.

4. Fennel seed — 小茴香

The quieter cousin of star anise. Xiao hui xiang brings a lighter, greener anise note that softens the richer spices. You will find it in lamb dishes, beef stews, and in any well-made bowl of niu rou mian (beef noodle soup) where it works behind the curtain so the more dramatic spices can perform.

5. Dried red chili — 干辣椒

The carrier. Gan la jiao is what binds the other four together in chili oil — the slow infusion of warm oil over toasted spices that ends up on top of so many of our dishes. The chilis bring heat, of course, but more importantly they bring colour and a roasted depth that fresh chilis cannot match.

Different varieties do different jobs: small bird’s-eye chilis for piercing heat, longer er jing tiao chilis for fragrance, broad sweet chilis for that deep red shine.

The shortcut: five-spice powder

Combine ground star anise, cassia, fennel, Sichuan peppercorn, and cloves and you have wu xiang fen (五香粉) — Chinese five-spice powder. It is older than most pre-mixed seasoning blends on earth and it remains, after centuries, one of the most balanced. A pinch on roasted duck, a teaspoon in a pork rub, half a teaspoon in a marinade for the chicken in your stir-fry. It works.