Ras el hanout
The name means “head of the shop” in Arabic — the blend every Moroccan spice merchant makes to their own formula, from the best spices they have. It can hold anywhere from a dozen to over thirty ingredients. This home version has fourteen: cumin, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, turmeric, nutmeg, paprika and rose petals. It is warm, faintly sweet and floral rather than hot. The key is toasting the whole spices before grinding.
Your own work in that: 10 min.
- Toasting 3 min
- Cooling 10 min
- Grinding 10 min
Step by step
0 / 8 doneShell the cardamom, break the cinnamon
Crush the cardamom pods and pick out the black seeds, discarding the husks. Break the cinnamon stick into small pieces — whole, it will not grind in a spice mill.
Ingredients: 2 tbsp cumin seeds · 2 tbsp coriander seeds · 1 tsp fennel seeds · 10 pcs green cardamom · 1 tsp black peppercorns · 6 pcs allspice berries · 6 pcs cloves · 1 pcs cinnamon stick
Toast the whole spices
Tip all the whole spices into a dry pan over medium heat and toast 2–3 minutes, shaking constantly, until fragrant and slightly darker. Toasting draws out and deepens the aroma — the blend will be noticeably fuller.
Ingredients: 2 tbsp cumin seeds · 2 tbsp coriander seeds · 1 tsp fennel seeds · 10 pcs green cardamom · 1 tsp black peppercorns · 6 pcs allspice berries · 6 pcs cloves · 1 pcs cinnamon stick
Until fragrant — no longer, or they turn bitter.Do not scorch
Take off the heat as soon as they smell fragrant, before they smoke, and tip straight onto a plate. In a hot pan the spices keep toasting, and scorched cumin makes the whole blend bitter.
Ingredients: 2 tbsp cumin seeds · 2 tbsp coriander seeds · 1 tsp fennel seeds · 10 pcs green cardamom · 1 tsp black peppercorns · 6 pcs allspice berries · 6 pcs cloves · 1 pcs cinnamon stick
Cool completely
Cool the spices for 10 minutes. Warm spices clump in the grinder and grind unevenly, and steam condenses in the jar.
Ingredients: 2 tbsp cumin seeds · 2 tbsp coriander seeds · 1 tsp fennel seeds · 10 pcs green cardamom · 1 tsp black peppercorns · 6 pcs allspice berries · 6 pcs cloves · 1 pcs cinnamon stick
Grind to a fine powder
Grind the spices in a coffee or spice grinder to a fine powder, in batches, shaking the grinder. Cinnamon and cloves take longest.
Ingredients: 2 tbsp cumin seeds · 2 tbsp coriander seeds · 1 tsp fennel seeds · 10 pcs green cardamom · 1 tsp black peppercorns · 6 pcs allspice berries · 6 pcs cloves · 1 pcs cinnamon stick
In batches — cinnamon and cloves take longest.Sift
Sift the ground blend through a fine sieve and regrind the coarse bits. Coarse pieces of husk and bark are hard and unpleasant in a dish.
Ingredients: 2 tbsp cumin seeds · 2 tbsp coriander seeds · 1 tsp fennel seeds · 10 pcs green cardamom · 1 tsp black peppercorns · 6 pcs allspice berries · 6 pcs cloves · 1 pcs cinnamon stick
Mix with ground spices and rose
Mix in the ginger, turmeric, paprika, nutmeg and cayenne. Crumble the rose petals between your fingers and add them last — they give ras el hanout the floral note that sets it apart from ordinary curry powder.
Ingredients: 2 tsp ground ginger · 2 tsp turmeric · 1 tbsp sweet paprika · 1 tsp grated nutmeg · ½ tsp cayenne pepper · 1 tbsp dried edible rose petals
Rose last — the floral note of Morocco.Store in a dark jar
Spoon into an airtight jar and keep in a dark cupboard. It is best for 3 months, then gradually loses aroma. Use it in tagines, couscous, roast lamb, carrots and squash.
Ingredients: 2 tsp ground ginger · 2 tsp turmeric · 1 tbsp sweet paprika · 1 tsp grated nutmeg · ½ tsp cayenne pepper · 1 tbsp dried edible rose petals
Before you start
How much to use
Ras el hanout is intense. For a tagine for 4, 1–2 teaspoons are enough; for a marinade for a kilo of meat — a tablespoon. Ideally fry it briefly in oil with onion so the aroma blooms.
Edible rose
Use rose petals sold for eating, clearly labelled as food, not florist's roses or potpourri, which may be sprayed. You will find them in shops selling Middle Eastern spices.
Your own formula
Ras el hanout has no single version — it is the shop's formula. Add a pinch of saffron, galangal, lavender or long pepper, or reduce the cayenne. Note the proportions when you find your favourite.