Baharat- homemade !

How is this spice blend different from our garam masala you may ask ?! Well, the ingredients may not be all that different but the proportion they are used in is not the same. Our Indian spices tend to be more sharp and spicy rather than deep and earthy. That works well for our kind of tastes or cooking.

The cuisine of the middle East or West Asia as it is now known tends to be more aromatic and perfumed. Which is why the use of cinnamon is more than say cloves or cardamom. Do you know what I mean ? It’s not the spice that is used but rather how much of it and in what balance. You won’t find green chillies in this kind of cooking so naturally the spices mingle with the meat and vegetables to offer a more mellow flavour. Taste it , you will know what I mean !

I love making the Baharat
It relaxes me. My tagine pot comes out only when we have company. The kind that can appreciate the trouble that goes into ‘taking out the tagine pot’ 😉  therefore when I’m pounding on the spices my thoughts do go to the person I’m cooking the meal for…and not in a bad way , if that’s what you’re thinking !!!! In a very loving way , that makes the hand labour less effortless and more pleasurable.

Any wonder then that I always end up pleasing the diner ?! The Baharat you see does contain all of my emotions in it’s earthy powdery depths !