Some of the most useful things in a kitchen come in small jars. This spice blends and condiments collection brings together the recipes that have earned a permanent place on my shelf at Casa Adora – each one made from scratch, each one better than its shop-bought equivalent.

The recipes here span a long stretch of culinary geography: a Georgian herb blend with marigold petals and blue fenugreek, a Syrian red pepper dip that earned its place at a rooftop mezze in Andalucía, and a BBQ rub from a Bon Appétit feature that I stumbled across while looking for something else entirely. What they share is simplicity — most take under twenty minutes — and the particular satisfaction of knowing exactly what is in the jar.

What You'll Find in This Spice Blends and Condiments Collection

Spice Blends

Homemade Advieh – A Persian Spice Blend

A warm, floral Persian spice blend of cinnamon, cardamom, and rose petals. It is the blend that goes into chelow and polo — Persian rice dishes where the rice itself carries the perfume. Five minutes to make, transformative to use.

Spice blend • Persian • Rose petals & cardamom

Homemade Baharat – A Middle Eastern Spice Blend

Arabic for "spice" — and a foundational blend with roots in the ancient Silk Road trade routes. Warm, aromatic, and built around black pepper, cumin, coriander, and smoked paprika. Use as a rub, stir into rice, or add to stews.

Spice blend • Middle Eastern • Warm & aromatic

Homemade Khmeli-Suneli – A Traditional Georgian Spice Blend

One of the least-known spice blends outside its home country — and one of the most rewarding to make. Dried herbs, marigold petals, and blue fenugreek from the mountains of northern Georgia. Keep a jar on the shelf for when a soup or stew needs lifting.

Spice blend • Georgian • Herb-forward & floral

Homemade Za'atar – My Andaluz Version of a Middle Eastern Classic

A Middle Eastern herb blend found across the entire Arab world — every country with its own version. This is my Andaluz take: thyme, oregano, sumac, and sesame. Works on almost everything.

Spice blend • Middle Eastern • Thyme, sumac & sesame

What Is Tabil? A Tunisian Spice Blend Worth Making

A Tunisian spice blend built on toasted coriander, caraway, and cumin, with dried rose petals and mint. Found online at €10 a jar — made my own instead. Use as a dry rub or mix with olive oil and vinegar to a paste.

Spice blend • Tunisian • Coriander, caraway & rose petals

Veggie Friends: Dukkah — An Egyptian Spice and Nut Blend A toasted Egyptian blend of hazelnuts, seeds and spices — coriander, cumin, sesame, fennel — crushed to a coarse, fragrant mix. Serve the classic way, dipped with bread and olive oil, or scattered over roasted vegetables, hummus, or yoghurt.

Spice blend • Egyptian • Hazelnuts, coriander & cumin

Homemade Celery Salt

Dried celery leaves ground with Maldon sea salt. Simple, useful, and considerably better than the shop-bought version. Goes into soups, stews, and anything that needs a savoury, slightly bitter lift.

Spice blend • British • Celery & Maldon sea salt

Homemade Vadouvan – A French-Indian Spice Blend

A French colonial take on an Indian curry blend — shallots, garlic, and warm spices slow-dried to a fragrant powder. Deeply aromatic and unlike anything on a supermarket shelf.

Spice blend • French-Indian • Shallot, curry leaf & warm spices

Homemade Harissa Paste

The North African chilli paste that earns its place in everything from marinades to stews. Made from dried chillies, roasted peppers, caraway, and coriander — better than the tube and ready in twenty minutes.

Paste • North African • Chilli, caraway & coriander

Mashed Bean Cakes with Onion and Ginger Marmalade

Spiced mashed bean cakes with a sticky onion and ginger marmalade alongside. A resourceful, flavour-packed vegetarian dish that works as a side or a light meal.

Side • International • Spiced beans & ginger marmalade

What Is Ajvar? – A Balkan Roasted Pepper Relish
Roasted red peppers and aubergine, blitzed with garlic, oil and lemon — the Balkan relish sometimes called vegan caviar. Smoky, simple, and considerably better than the jar.

Relish • Balkan • Roasted pepper & aubergine

What Is Zhug? – A Yemeni Green Chilli Sauce
A fiery Yemeni green chilli and herb sauce, blitzed in minutes from garlic, coriander, parsley and lemon. Great on roasted veg, sandwiches, or stirred into soup.

Sauce • Yemeni • Green chilli & herbs

Ras el Hanout: Top of the Shop
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, some running to a hundred ingredients; this one settles for a dozen or so and is still transformative. Blitz it into a paste and you'll wonder how you cooked Moroccan food without it.

Paste • Moroccan • Toasted spices, rose petals & citrus

Sauces & Dips

Homemade Muhammara – Syrian Red Pepper and Walnut Dip

A traditional Syrian dip from Aleppo — roasted red peppers, walnuts, pomegranate molasses, and red pepper flakes. First served at a rooftop mezze at Casa Adora, and requested again before the guests left.

Dip • Syrian • Red pepper, walnut & pomegranate molasses

Carrot Top Pesto – A Zero-Waste Recipe Worth Making

Carrot tops are one of the most overlooked ingredients in any kitchen — feathery, slightly bitter, and perfectly edible. Blended with Parmesan, garlic, lemon, and good olive oil, they make a vibrant, zero-waste pesto that's genuinely worth making. Brilliant through pasta, on toast, or alongside a grilled pork chop.

Sauce • Zero-waste • Carrot tops, Parmesan & olive oil

Rubs & Coatings

4-3-2-1 Spice Rub – The Bold BBQ Rub That Always Works

Four tablespoons salt, three brown sugar, two smoked paprika, one cayenne. The ratio is the recipe. Bold, in-your-face, and consistent every time. I stumbled across it looking for something else and it has been on the shelf ever since.

Rub • American • Salt, sugar, paprika & cayenne

Homemade KFC Finger Lickin' Chicken Coating – MSG Free

I hankered after KFC chicken in rural Andalucía and decided to make my own. Eleven herbs and spices, properly brined chicken, deep-fat fried. MSG-free. A KFC has since opened in Jaén. It wasn't good.

Coating • American-inspired • Eleven herbs & spices, MSG free

Homemade Salt and Pepper Spice Mix

Sichuan peppercorns, celery salt, black pepper, and chilli flakes — ground to a rough powder in a pestle and mortar. Sharp, warm, and lightly fiery. Use on prawns, squid, chicken wings, or crispy fried potatoes.

Rub • Chinese-inspired • Sichuan pepper, celery salt & chilli

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