Moroccan Seven Spice Blend

I am always wanting to bring you new ways to add a little POW of flavor to your meals, and decided to make up another batch of my Moroccan Seven Spice Blend and share an easy video on how to do it. I feel homemade spice blends are always better than store bought!

Besides, this is going to be used in tomorrow’s Moroccan inspired Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder and it’s a tasty one, so let’s do this!

My stash of Moroccan Seven Spice Blend was just about empty and the meal I was going to make needed it. Badly. I’m pretty sure most of the required spices in Morocco’s famous spice blend are already in your pantry, too, and it’s a cinch to make.

Every country has their special spice mix, right? India has it’s various curry powders, there is also the delicious Chinese Five Spice and a favorite in my house is this Baharat Arabic Spice Mix and Lebanese Spice Mix. All different mixtures of exotic and hopefully fresh, dry and toasted spices to bring out the best essential oils and flavor.

I wanted to show all the spices below in their original form prior to getting dried and ground for this spice blend. For this recipe ground spices purchased from your local market will do. Believe me, I do not grate, dry and grind fresh turmeric or ginger root myself!

I can’t remember where I picked this one up, but I believe it to be from a friend’s mother who I befriended while traveling lower Egypt some years back. We were chatting away about food on the bus taking us to Abu Simbel to see a magnificent Ramses II temple (as well as Nefatari’s temple adjacent to his) near the Sudan border.

That’s Dave on the left, I’m on the right with hat in front of the temple at Abu Simbel.

It’s one of my favorite temples to visit besides Deir el-Bahari, the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut, the first female Egyptian pharaoh to rule.

Sorry, Cleopatra doesn’t count as she was a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty, a family of Macedonian Greeks that ruled Egypt after Alexander the Great’s death. Hatshepsut came to the throne of Egypt in 1478 BC. Cleopatra was born 69 BC.

Here we are again, Dave all bundled up in a scarf we had picked up in the markets of Luxor across the Nile from here. Actually on the exact opposite of the mountain wall behind us is the Valley of the Kings, where so many famed tombs, such as King Tut, were discovered.

Here is one of many statues of Hatshepsut lining the exterior second level entrance. I love the fact the original paint is still intact on her and the temple.

I took these shots on an inner wall of the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut. Amazing right?

Check out the detailed offerings of food.

I could go on and on about Egypt, it’s food, spices, people, and historical aspects forever. Been an Egyptophile for as long as I can remember.

Anyways, this is about Morocco, not Egypt and my Moroccan Seven Spice Blend is one killer spice mix. I love to add it to meatballs, grilled meats and to include as a dry rub.

Simply combine the spices and mix thoroughly. Store in an airtight container. I like to make small batches and keep on hand for the occasional need for a Moroccan influenced dish like my Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder inspired by a Moroccan Lamb dish I love.

One day we’ll make the trip to Morocco, visit the endless souks and barter away for more spices! For now this little taste of Morocco will have to do. Try it out and enjoy this little exotic flavor travel!

For other spice blends try my Copycat Montreal Seasoning Blend, Copycat Emeril’s Blackened Meat Seasoning, or this Garam Masala Spice Blend. Enjoy!

This recipe post first appeared on Kevin Is Cooking in February 2015 and has been updated with a new video.

Moroccan Seven Spice Blend

Moroccan Seven Spice Blend - a beautiful mixture of warm, ground spices that include black pepper, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, clove and nutmeg. An exotic and tasty blend for seasoning and dry rubs. 

4.12 from 18 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Pantry, Spice Blend

Cuisine: Moroccan

Keyword: homemade spice blend, moroccan spice blend, seven spice blend recipe

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 21kcal

Author: Kevin Is Cooking

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup ground black pepper
• 4 tsp ground ginger
• 4 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp cardamom
• 1/2 tsp clove
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg

Instructions

• Combine spices and mix thoroughly.
• Store in an airtight container.

Notes

I like to make my spice blends in small batches so the potency doesn't lessen. This makes a little more than 1/2 cup total.

 

Nutrition

Calories: 21kcal | Carbohydrates: 5.4g | Protein: 0.7g | Fat: 0.3g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 1.9mg | Fiber: 2.3g | Sugar: 0.1g

Have you made this recipe? Let me know on InstagramTag @KevinIsCooking and hashtag me #keviniscooking!