Ras el hanout is by far my favorite spice blend—it’s a Moroccan blend of spices for which there is no one authentic recipe. In stead there are no less than hundreds—if not thousands—of different family recipes.

Every family, store owner, butcher and town-fool has its own special recipe. Some of them mix 15 to 20 different spices while others mix as much as a hundred of them to create the best, aromatic blend. Probably why they choose this name seeing as it means something like: “Best of the shop”.

It’s a wonderful, fragrant and slightly complex tasting spice blend that really spruces up your soups, stews, tajines, shish kabob, marinades, grilled chicken, couscous and even salads. Pretty much anything you can think of… and then some.

Ingredients:

3 tsp black pepper corns
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp paprika powder
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chili flakes
1/4 tsp cloves
2 tsp coarse sea salt



Directions:

I usually buy my ras el hanout from the Moroccan bakery I visit every week. Now and then I’ll make a batch myself, though, and over the years I found the combo that seems to work best for my recipes (and taste buds).

You’ll need some spices for it. Heck, who am I kidding? You’ll need a freaky amount of spices. But it’s for a good cause!

You can make this spice blend by using a spice mill, a mortar and pestle or even a food processor. I prefer the mortar and pestle because it makes me seem like such a hardcore foodie.

Simply combine the black peppercorns, chili flakes, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, ground ginger, turmeric, paprika powder, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cumin and cloves.

You know what this is going to smell like, don’t you? Arab heaven!

Add 2 tsp coarse sea salt and start crushing things.

Sieve the blend now and then. Put the coarse pieces back into the mortar and repeat this process until all the spices have turned into a fine powder.

And you’re left with an amazingly aromatic spice blend that you can now use for a million different things.

Store in an airtight container.