Ras el Hanout: Top of the Shop
August 6, 2014
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:
- Toast the cumin, coriander, fennel, peppercorns, cinnamon, cardamom, star anise and cloves in a dry pan until fragrant.
- 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.
- 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.
This recipe is also part of my North African Recipes — From the Moorish Kitchen at Casa Adora.
Find more recipes and food adventures here.
Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures – The Flexible Chef
