Ras el Hanout

Poetry in a pot! This is one of my favourite spice mixes and it is Morocco’s answer to the numerous masala mixes in Indian cuisine. Translated from Arabic as ‘the head of the shop’, ras el hanout varies according to the spice merchant – each one creates a unique blend – but the mix should traditionally contain thirty different spices and herbs with strong pepper and chilli notes, combined with aromatic spices like cloves, cinnamon and mace as well as buds and petals like rose, hibiscus, and