Baharat Spice Blend

Baharat is a very popular Middle Eastern spice blend that adds loads of great bold Persian flavours to many dishes. It's really easy to make at home with just seven simple spices. Perfect as a dry rub, as a spice paste and to jazz up many dishes.

Do you, like me, have a heaving spice rack? Actually, I've long since had to give up on an actual rack. I moved it all to a large drawer (it's so much easier to find what you need and you can write the names on the lids!). However, eventually my spice collection even breached the drawer and it's now also in a cupboard.

I'm just such a sucker for the amazing ways that different combinations of pantry spices can transform a simple dish.

Spice blends

I'm vegetarian, so I heavily rely on spices to pep up my beloved vegetables. Even with a huuuge collection of spices, I still get swayed by that aromatic aisle in the supermarket.

Suddenly there will be a new blend that I need to try: ras el hanout, berbere, creole, za'atar, dukkah, panch phoran... and baharat.

But now that my spices are overflowing the pantry, it's time to put them all to use in blends and make my own. Trust me, it's soooo easy.

What is baharat?

Baharat means 'spices' in Arabic. It's a 7-spice blend that varies slightly depending on the region, but generally consists of black pepper, cumin, coriander, paprika, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves.

Whether you're in Turkey (added mint), Lebanon or Tunisia (rosebuds), you'll find baharat, but usually with slight variations on the spices and quantities used.

It's a very versatile spice blend and perfect for pepping up lentils, vegetables, tofu and myriad other recipes.

Baharat tastes warm and earthy, with a mild, subtle heat from the pepper and paprika. There's a real depth of flavor and it's at once sweet and warming.

A little Baharat will suddenly transform a dish to a Middle Eastern delight.

How to use baharat spice blend

The heady aroma of baharat will instantly give a dish a Persian/Iranian/Lebanese flavor. I use it a LOT. Try it used these ways:

• Rub for meat, veggies (try it on whole roasted cauliflower), tofu
• Make a Baharat Salad dressing by mixing a little with oil, vinegar or lemon juice, garlic and a dash or maple syrup. Perfect on Rocca Salad.
• Cook red lentils in vegetable stock and 1 teaspoon of baharat for 20 minutes for a quick Middle Eastern side dish.
• Try it on Persian Vegetable Tofu Skewers.
• Roast the cauliflower in baharat for this delicious Fesenjan - a Middle Eastern walnut stew.
• Spice up kebabs.
• Stir a little baharat into a little oil to make a paste, then swirl it into yogurt and drizzle over skewers, salads and other dishes.
• Use it as the spice in my Tagine for a different flavour than Moroccan.

Ingredients

You only need seven everyday spices mixed together to create baharat spice blend.

They are probably all already in your spice rack and if not, they're all popular spices that are readily available in most grocery stores.

• black pepper - freshly ground is the best as it's more fragrant.
• paprika - don't use smoked, just standard paprika.
• cloves - use whole or ground. For whole, see note below.
• coriander - unlike fresh leaf coriander/cilantro, coriander is also a ground spice or it comes whole in little seed balls.
• cumin - whole or ground
• cardamom - I prefer to use the pods since although all ground spices lose potency all the time, I find that cardamom is particularly afflicted. See my notes below on how to toast and grind your own cardamom.

Whole spices

You can use ground or whole spices, or a mix of the two.

If using whole spices, then there are two quick and easy steps you'll need to do to prepare them:

1. Simply add them to a dry frying pan (ie: no oil) over a medium heat and toast, shaking occasionally, about for a few minutes until lightly toasted and fragrant.
2. Then add them to a spice grinder or mortar and pestle and grind them up to a powder.

Cardamom note: Toast the cardamom in their pods. Then bash them a little to crack them open. Use the seeds inside to grind for the baharat and discard the fibrous seeds pods. You'll need about 12 cardamom pods to make ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom.

How to make Baharat

It couldn't be simpler to make this fragrant spice blend.

If you're using all ground spices, simply mix them together in a small bowl and then store in an airtight container in a cool dark place.

If all (or some) of your spices are whole, then scroll up for how to toast them (hint: simply heat them in a dry frying pan for a few minutes until lightly toasted, then grind in a spice grinder or with a pestle and mortar).