Heat a dry wok over a medium heat. Add the sea salt and star anise and stir-fry for around 10 minutes until the salt changes colour and becomes darker. Be careful not to touch the hot salt, it will get VERY hot. Carefully empty the toasted salt into a heat-proof bowl and set aside for 20 minutes or until the salt has cooled completely.
To the bowl of toasted salt, add the sugar, msg, Chinese 5-spice, ginger powder, chilli powder and white pepper. Mix well, transfer the mix to a shaker and store at room temperature until needed.