Thirty years ago, I was invited to lunch by a friend of Moroccan origins at her sister’s house. My friend’s sister served us incredible meatballs, and as I savored each bite, I couldn’t resist asking:
“What’s the secret behind this insanely fantastic flavor?”
The sisters replied in unison:
🌟 “Ras El Hanout!” 🌟
They explained that Ras El Hanout—meaning "head of the store"—is a traditional Moroccan spice blend made from the finest, carefully selected spices.
🔍The Quest for the Perfect Ras El Hanout🔍
As I soon learned (the hard way!), not all Ras El Hanout blends deserve this noble title. It’s more than cinnamon, black pepper, and cloves. Even blends containing nutmeg, ginger, and cardamom couldn’t match the captivating aroma and taste that enchanted me decades ago.
When I started my blog, I embarked on a quest to uncover the secret ingredient behind Ras El Hanout’s unique umami flavor.
That’s when I discovered the magic spice: Mace—something completely new to me!
🌹 THE MAGIC OF MACE & FUSION WITH PINK ROSEBUDS 🌹
Another deep dive into Ras El Hanout recipes revealed this miraculous spice again and again. Some recipes roasted and ground spices from scratch, while others incorporated fragrant dried pink rosebuds.
I found an excellent, easy-to-follow recipe using ground spices, omitting cumin, and generously featuring mace.
Embracing my eclectic style, I made my own fusion: reducing cumin, adding extra dried pink rosebuds, and increasing mace.
And voilà—there it was: the authentic Ras El Hanout blend, exactly as I remembered, bursting with the delicious fragrance I had been searching for!
Today, there's no looking back.
🔥 Elevate your cooking with this magical blend! 🔥
Ras El Hanout will bring rich, aromatic depth to your dishes, especially vegan "meat" recipes:
- 🌱 Vegan Kebab with Pistachio
- 🌱 Vegan Moroccan Cigars
- 🌱 Vegan Meatballs in Lemon Olive Sauce
- 🌱 Vegan Empanadas
🧑🍳Pro Tip:
Do yourself a favor and purchase Mace, as well as dried pink Rosebuds. Keep them in the freezer, and they’ll last for a long time, ready to take your cooking to the next level.
RECIPE
Ras El Hanout: The Moroccan Spice Blend That Changed EverythingYields about ⅓ Cup
- 2 teaspoon ground mace
- 2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground fennel
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried pink rosebuds
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- To ground the pink rosebuds: place them in a spice grinder together with 1 Tablespoon of the rest of the blend and grind - this way, it will grind easier.
- Place all the ingredients in a sealed jar/container and shake well.
- Keep in fridge or freezer.
- You can buy a ready-made Ras-El-Hanout mixture (a reliable brand), check the ingredients, and add missing spices such as mace, cardamom, ginger, and pink rosebuds.
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