Ras el Hanout is Arabic for "head of the shop" — a nod to the idea that the seller is putting their very best spices into the mix. Recipes vary wildly, with some running to a hundred ingredients or more. I'll settle for a dozen or so, and it's still transformative. Make it into a paste and you'll wonder how you cooked Moroccan food without it.

Ingredients:

To toast:

• Cumin seeds
• Coriander seeds
• Fennel seeds
• Black peppercorns
• Cinnamon or cassia bark
• Cardamom pods
• Star anise
• Cloves

To blend with the toasted spices:

• 1 shallot
• Garlic
• Fresh ginger
• Sweet smoked paprika
• Lemon juice
• Rapeseed oil
• Chilli flakes
• Sugar
• Rose petals (or a few drops of rose petal water, if fresh petals aren't to hand)
• Ground mace
• Ground nutmeg

Method:

1. Toast the cumin, coriander, fennel, peppercorns, cinnamon, cardamom, star anise and cloves in a dry pan until fragrant.
2. Blitz the toasted spices together with the shallot, garlic, ginger, smoked paprika, lemon juice, oil, chilli flakes, sugar, rose petals (or rose water), mace and nutmeg to a paste.
3. Spoon into a sterilised jar and top with a slick of oil. Keeps in the fridge for quite a while.

Footnote:

This recipe is part of my Spice Blends & Condiments collection. Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures – The Flexible Chef