Ras el Hanout – Holy Cow Vegan

It takes simply minutes to place collectively this intensely fragrant Moroccan spice mix, Ras el Hanout. Make a batch and use it to prepare dinner up complicated and flavorful stews and tagines that everybody will love.

Desk of Contents
What’s ras el hanout?
Ras el Hanout is a north African spice mix most related to Moroccan cooking, though it is also utilized in Tunisia and Algeria. It has intense, floral notes and it’s a fantastic taste so as to add to Moroccan impressed dishes and particularly gradual cooked stews, like this jackfruit “lamb” tagine.
The phrases “ras el hanout” translate loosely to “prime of the store” or “prime shelf,” indicating the exalted standing this spice mix holds amongst many others from the area. It’s actually a transformational ingredient, very like a harissa paste, as a result of it shifts the flavour profile of a recipe utterly, including to it tons of appetizing attract.
There are maybe as many variations of it as there are cooks in Morocco, a lot as one would say with different world spice blends like garam masala and berbere.
Variations of ras el hanout can embrace greater than a dozen spices and herbs, together with lavender flowers and rose petals. Whereas these will not be arduous to search out, in my model I caught with spices which are extra prone to be within the pantry of anybody that likes to prepare dinner world recipes.
You can find ras el hanout recipes that mix powdered spices, however I desire to make use of entire spices just because they offer a far superior taste. You may also toast the entire spices earlier than you mix them, which provides to the aroma of the spice mix and the meals you prepare dinner with it. Powdered spices lose their taste the longer they sit on the shelf, so there is definitely a powerful argument to be made for utilizing entire spices. The one floor spices we’ll want for this recipe are turmeric, ginger and paprika.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Intensely fragrant. You want an ideal stability of spices to make the proper ras el hanout recipe, and this mixture hits the spot.
- Straightforward to make. You want simply 10 minutes of time to make this spice combine. This recipe makes sufficient for 3-4 makes use of however you may simply double or triple it if you wish to make a bigger batch.
- Versatile. You should use this ras el hanout spice mix not simply in Moroccan impressed stews but in addition as a rub for tofu or tempeh, as a flavoring for vegan meats, couscous, and in veggie bean burgers. Your creativeness is the restrict!
Elements
Complete spices
- Coriander seeds
- Cumin seeds
- Fennel seeds. You’ll be able to substitute these with two star anise.
- Complete nutmeg. If you do not have entire nutmeg, use two teaspoons of floor nutmeg and add it to the recipe together with the opposite powdered spices.
- Cinnamon sticks
- Inexperienced cardamom
- Black peppercorns
- Allspice berries
- Cloves
- Dried purple chili peppers. Use any spicy pepper, like arbol. If you do not have it, use cayenne and add it together with the opposite powdered spices to the recipe.
Powdered spices
- Turmeric
- Ginger
- Paprika. You should use cayenne pepper for a spicier mix.

Methods to use this spice mix
- Use it in fragrant, slow-cooked stews like tagines. I’ve an exquisite chickpea tagine recipe that I’ll share with you subsequent.
- Use it to taste rice or couscous and even pasta dishes and so as to add an unique aptitude.
- Use it as a spice rub earlier than you grill tofu or tempeh or veggies, or add it to veggie burgers for a scrumptious kick. Ras el hanout is particularly fantastic with veggies like carrots, candy potatoes and winter squash.
Useful ideas
- Do not go away the spices unattended on the range. Stick with them and stir often to make sure they toast evenly. As quickly as you flip off the range take away them to a bowl to make sure they do not proceed to prepare dinner.
- Let the spices cool completely earlier than you powder them. This may guarantee there isn’t any moisture within the spices that would sneak into the powdered mix, lowering its shelf life.
- You is likely to be tempted so as to add within the powdered spices whereas mixing the entire spices and also you definitely can, however remember the fact that if you open the blender the spices will probably assail your nostrils. It is simply simpler so as to add them on the finish. In any case, be sure to preserve your face turned away from the blender or spice grinder if you open it to keep away from inhaling the spice fumes, which might make you sneeze.
Storage directions
- Retailer ras el hanout in an hermetic jar in a cool, darkish cabinet in your kitchen. Spices have oils in them and conserving the mix cool ensures the oils do not go rancid. You may also retailer it within the fridge or freezer, when you have room, to lengthen the shelf lifetime of your ras el hanout. The spice mix will style finest if used inside three months though you may retailer it as much as a yr.
Extra African/Mediterranean recipes

When you love this recipe for ras el hanout, you’ll want to take a look at extra world vegan recipes at Holy Cow Vegan!

Ras el Hanout
It takes simply minutes to place collectively this intensely fragrant Moroccan spice mix, Ras el Hanout. Make a batch and use it to prepare dinner up complicated and flavorful stews and tagines that everybody will love.
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Servings: 8 tbsp (approx)
Energy: 19kcal
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Directions
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Place the entire entire spices in a dry skillet. Over medium low warmth toast the spices for about 5 minutes or till they purchase a little bit of shade and are very fragrant.
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Take away the spices to a bowl or plate and allow them to cool completely. Mix right into a high quality powder.
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Place the blended spice powder in a bowl and add the remaining powdered spices–turmeric, ginger and paprika.
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Combine completely with a spoon. Retailer in an hermetic jar in a cool, darkish spot.
Recipe notes
- Do not go away the spices unattended on the range. Stick with them and stir often to make sure they toast evenly. As quickly as you flip off the range take away them to a bowl to make sure they do not proceed to prepare dinner.
- Let the spices cool completely earlier than you powder them. This may guarantee there isn’t any moisture within the spices that would sneak into the powdered mix, lowering its shelf life.
- You is likely to be tempted so as to add within the powdered spices whereas mixing the entire spices and also you definitely can, however remember the fact that if you open the blender the spices will probably assail your nostrils. It is simply simpler so as to add them on the finish. In any case, be sure to preserve your face turned away from the blender or spice grinder if you open it to keep away from inhaling the spice fumes, which might make you sneeze.
Storage directions
- Retailer ras el hanout in an hermetic jar in a cool, darkish cabinet in your kitchen. Spices have oils in them and conserving the mix cool ensures the oils do not go rancid. You may also retailer it within the fridge or freezer, when you have room, to lengthen the shelf lifetime of your ras el hanout. The spice mix will style finest if used inside three months though you may retailer it as much as a yr.
Vitamin
Serving: 1tablespoon | Energy: 19kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fats: 1g | Saturated Fats: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fats: 0.3g | Trans Fats: 0.001g | Sodium: 4mg | Potassium: 85mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 330IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 1mg