Ras el hanout is to Moroccan and North African cooking what garam masala is to the Indian kitchen. Translated, ras el hanout means the ‘top of the shop’, indicating that it's the best of everything in the spice merchant’s wares.
Ras el hanout recipe
Ras el hanout is used flavour savoury dishes, such as my tagine with seitan, prunes, and cashews and my Moroccan vegetable tagine.
As with almost all spice blends around the world, there’s no one definitive recipe – instead, merchants and cooks tailor their blends to their own - and their customers’ - tastes.
How many spices are in ras el hanout?
There is a school of thought which claims that ras el hanout must contain a dozen different spices but to be honest, when I was living in Morocco, not one person, whether home cook, restaurateur, or merchant, agreed with this assessment!
Which spices are in ras el hanout?
Having said that, common ingredients are cardamom, coriander, cumin, cayenne (or chilli), turmeric, paprika (sweet, hot, or both), pepper (black, white, or both), and sweet spices such as ginger, cloves, anise, and nutmeg.
Depending on geographical location, some blends may use different types of pepper, including long pepper (yum!) and grains of paradise. Galangal may be used instead of ginger, and for something truly exotic, a few dried rosebuds may be added too.
As with garam masala, whole spices are generally lightly toasted before grinding, or pounding in a mortar and pestle.
Here are three ras el hanout blends that I use – feel free to adjust the amounts of the individual spices for your own taste.
📖 Recipe
Ras el Hanout Blend 1
Ingredients
- 6 mace flowers
- 2 teaspoon allspice berries
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 whole star anise
- 6 whole cloves
- 2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoon ground green cardamom
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Lightly toast the whole spices in a dry skillet over a medium heat, until they start to give off their fragrance, then grind to a fine powder.
- Mix together with the other spices.
- This will keep in an airtight jar for around six months.
- 1 cup = US cup = 240 ml
- 1 tablespoon = US/UK = 15 ml
- 1 fl oz = US = 30 ml
📖 Recipe
Ras el Hanout Blend 2
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground green cardamom
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Mix all the spices together, and store in an airtight jar.
- This will keep for around six months.
- 1 cup = US cup = 240 ml
- 1 tablespoon = US/UK = 15 ml
- 1 fl oz = US = 30 ml
📖 Recipe
Ras el Hanout Blend 3
Ingredients
- 2½ tablespoon cumin seed
- 2 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 2 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 12 whole cloves
- 10 green cardamom pods bruised
- ½ teaspoon anise seeds
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Lightly toast the whole spices in a dry skillet over a medium heat, until they start to give off their fragrance, then grind to a fine powder.
- Mix together with the other spices.
- This will keep in an airtight jar for around six months.
- 1 cup = US cup = 240 ml
- 1 tablespoon = US/UK = 15 ml
- 1 fl oz = US = 30 ml
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