First things first, what actually is ras el hanout?

“Ras el hanout” is a spice blend from North Africa (Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria). It translates as “head of the shop” in Arabic - a combination of the sellers best spices. Ras el hanout has a vibrant, earthy flavour with warming notes. Typically Ras el hanout is used in tagines, marinades and stews. It is basically the African version of the Indian spice blend, garam masala.

Ras el hanout ingredients

• 2½ tbsp of Wild Mountain Cumin

• 2 tbsp of crushed Nile Coriander

  ½ tbsp of Cloud Forest Cardamom

• 2 tsp of Black Kampot Pepper

• 1 tsp ground New Harvest Turmeric

• ½ teaspoon of Pemba Cloves

• 1 tbsp of Royal Cinnamon

• 2 tsp Buffalo Ginger

• a good pinch of Herati Saffron

How to use your spices

• Throw all of your ras el hanout ingredients into a small pan on a low heat

• Roast until they are aromatic and have turned darker (stir often - be careful not to burn your spices!)

• Pour into a spice grinder or pestle and mortar and blend into a fine powder

• Store in a sealable jar for up to six months

Recipes:

Here are some of our favourite tagine recipes which use ras el hanout (for vegans, pescatarians and meat-lovers!)

• Vegan Tagine: saffron, preserved lemons, apricots, fluffy couscous & toasted almonds

• Fruity Lamb Tagine: chickpeas, pomegranates & fresh coriander

• Morrocan Spiced Fish Tagine: plaice fillets, pistachios & pomegranate seeds