Much like garam masala, there's no one canonical version of ras el hanout. It's meant to be a mix of all the best spices the seller has to offer and each merchant will generally have their own blend. This version includes a bit of sea salt, but I think next time I'd leave it out and add salt to the dish separately. That way I know how much salt is going in.

Ras el Hanout

From 150 Best Tagine Recipes

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. allspice berries
• 1 Tbsp. coriander seeds
• 1 Tbsp. fennel seeds
• 1 (2-3") cinnamon stick, smashed
• 2 tsp. cardamom seeds (from green pods)
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp. fenugreek seeds
• 2 tsp. black peppercorns
• 3 cloves
• 1 star anise
• 1 Tbsp. coarse sea salt¹ (optional)
• 1 Tbsp. ground turmeric
• 1 tsp. ground ginger²

Directions

1. Combine allspice, coriander, fennel, cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, fenugreek, cloves, and star anise and toast over medium heat, stirring often.
2. When spices are lightly toasted and fragrant, remove from heat immediately and transfer to plate to cool.
3. Once cool, grind to a fine powder.
4. Add salt, turmeric, and ginger and mix well.

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¹ The first time I made this, I made it with the salt. I generally prefer to add the salt separately though. These days I make it without salt and just add in extra salt elsewhere if the recipe is expecting the spice mix to have salt in it. ^Back
2 I totally misread this the first time I made it and put 1 Tbsp. of ground ginger into my mix. Still tasty, and I didn't find the ginger overwhelming, despite having 3x the recommended amount. Perhaps some of the other spices might have come through more if I'd put less ginger though. ^Back