Ras el hanout Recipe

Origin: North Africa      Period: Traditional

Ras el hanout (رأس الحانوت) is one of the 'must have' spice blends in Middle Eastern and North African (especially Moroccan) cuisine. The name itself literally means 'Head of the Shop' in Arabic and refers to the best quality spices that the merchant has. Though there is no set combination of spices that comprises ras el hanout, most versions contains over a dozen spices (and some can have as many as a hundred ingredients). The mixture given below represents an authentic Moroccan version containing a large number of spices, including some rather obscure ones such as rosebud (which can be omitted).

Ingredients:

4 whole nutmegs
10 rosebuds (dried) (or 25g dried Damasc rose petals or 25g dog rose petals) [optional]
5 6cm cinnamon sticks
12 blades of mace
1 tsp aniseed
8 pieces of dried turmeric (or 2 tbsp powdered turmeric)
4 dried cayenne chillies
8 dried piri-piri chillies
1/2 tsp lavender leaves [omit if serving to a pregnant woman]
1 tbsp white peppercorns
2 pieces dried galangal
5cm piece whole ginger cut into small cubes (or 2 tsp ground ginger)
6 cloves
24 allspice berries
20 green cardamom pods
4 black cardamom pods
2 tsp cubeb pepper
2 tsp grains of paradise [optional]
2 tsp cumin
10 saffron threads
1 tbsp fenugreek
2 tsp mustard seeds

Ras el hanout Preparation:

Method:

Place all the ingredients in a dry no-stick drying pan and toast under gently heat until the spices begin to colour and/or dry out (the spices are sufficiently toasted when cumin and mustard seeds begin to 'pop'. When done, set the pan aside and allow to cool thoroughly before transferring to a coffee grinder and grind to a smooth powder. If properly toasted and the wet ingredients are dried then this spice blend will keep in an airtight container for several months.

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