Ras el Hanout is a North African spice blend found in Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria. However today, they are more widely used in Moroccan cuisine.  Ras el Hanout literally means "Head of the shop" and implies a mixture of the best spices the seller has to offer. Ras El Hanout spice tends to be more floral and sweet. Throughout Morocco, each spice vendor has their own secretly guarded recipe, which means no two versions of ras el hanout are the same.

There are plenty of variations with mixtures of over a dozen spices. Some spice mix can even be up to 60 ingredients long! Today we will be sharing a basic recipe with only 16 ingredients that most people already have in their pantry.

Ingredients:

1. 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
2. 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
3. 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
4. 1 teaspoon white peppercorns
5. 1 teaspoon whole cloves
6. 1 teaspoon turmeric
7. 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
8. 1 teaspoon anise seeds
9. 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
10. 10 gr star anise
11. 10 gr cardamom pods
12. 1 cinnamon stick
13. 1 whole nutmeg
14. 1 teaspoon All spice
15. 1 teaspoon cayenne or chilli powder
16. 1 teaspoon dried rose petals

Method:

1. Heat up a non stick pan to low-medium heat and place ingredients 1 -11 in.
2. Roast the ingredients for 8-12 minutes stirring occasionally
3. Transfer the roasted spices and the remaining ingredients into a food grinder or processer.
4. Process until the spices are finely ground.
5. Sift the spice blend through a fine sieve and discard the remaining in the sieve. Store in a closed jar and keep for up to 2 years.

Its essential to use fresh spices to get the best flavour. To make a 'quick' ras el hanout batch, you can also use already ground spices (1 teaspoon each) and mix them together. Because there are so many variations to this unique spice blend, feel free to customize your very own Ras El Hanout mix by playing around with the ingredients and proportions.