| 4 TBSP of Sichuan peppercorns |
| 3 TBSP of coriander seeds(plus 1 TBS reserved) |
| 3 TBSP of cumin seeds (plus 1 TBS reserved) |
| 3 TBSP of fennel seeds(plus 1 TBS reserved) |
| 2 TBSP whole black peppercorns |
| 1 TBSP plus 2 teaspoons cloves |
| 3 TBSP plus 1 teaspoon allspice |
| 3 TBSP plus 1 teaspoon dried ginger |
| 1 TBSP plus 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon |
| Maggi beef or chicken bouillon cubes |
| 1/4 TSP of Red Chili powder (or more at your discretion) |
| 1-2 TSP ground crayfish (at your discretion) |
| 1 stalk of lemongrass, cut into 4 pieces and tied into a small bundle |
| 1/4 TSP of Ground black pepper(or more at your discretion) |
| For Meat lovers, add: (stew cuts of) chicken or goat meat, cut into bite-size pieces |
| For Vegetarians add: 1 pack of Mushrooms (your choice), 2 large carrots |
| chopped into 1-inch pieces; 2 larges potatoes (your choice) cut into 1-inch |
| pieces. |
1. Toast the spices; aniseed pepper, coriander, cumin, fennel seeds, and black peppercorns in a pan over low heat for 1-2 minutes. Next, remove the spices from the heat when it becomes fragrant. Permit the spices to cool and grind them along with the rest of the spices. Grind the spices until fine. The spices can be stored in an airtight container.
2. Add the chopped meat to a large pot and cover with about 2 cups of water. Add one tablespoon of the spice mix, salt, the Maggi bouillon cubes, red chile powder, the crayfish (optional), and the bundles of lemongrass. Stir and permit to simmer over low heat until the liquid comes to a boil.
For vegetarian: continue with step 2 without adding the meat but add mushrooms, carrots, and potatoes.
3. When it has comes to a boil, add the rest of the water and the pepper soup spice mix. Permit the soup to cook over a low to medium heat. Add salt and pepper to your taste and let it simmer. If you added meat, then let it simmer until the meat is tender.
For vegetarian: simmer until the potatoes and carrots are tender. (use a fork to check for tenderness).