Customer Reviews

Ras El Hanout 4.0 Oz By Zamouri Spices

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Be careful! After trying this wonderful blend of spices, with great complexity of flavor, that they say is made with 35 ingredients, I found ras el hanout in my local grocery store. When I tried it alongside this one, there was no comparison. Then I checked the label--the local one had only 8 ingredients! It went into the trash and another order was placed to Zamouri.

Ras el hanout can be used in a number of Moroccan dishes that are fabulous, although they tend to be complex to prepare--although if you're in the mood they are worth the effort. But I also use it in tomato soup to give an amazing richness of flavor to it, transforming an everyday dish to a company dish. Today I'm braising short ribs, and when I've cooked down the braising liquid I'll add ras el hanout to provide a symphony of flavor to it. I haven't tried it with tomatoes and cheese on an omelet, but it's the sort of thing that's likely to be fabulous. With a little experimentation, you'll find your own favorite uses for it.

This is great for Couscous sauce and other red sauces! I would recommend making it at home then buying it, but if you don't know how or don't have the opportunity to do it this is the brand to buy!

Most Ras al Hanout contains only a few ingredients. This one, with over 20, is the real stuff one might get in a Maghreb spice shop as the "top of the line" (literally 'top of the shop') secret family mixture.

About ten years ago a friend made amazing Algerian couscous for us in which she used a bottle of ras-el-hanout purchased in France under the Ducros brand name. It was fabulous and for years I tried finding the same spice/flavor/scent in hopes of duplicating our unforgettable feast - with repeated disappointments. I read the reviews for the Zamouri ras-el-hanout and decided to take a chance, even though I was about to give up hope. And what do you know, this IS the real thing - just incredible. Do yourself a favor and saute some crushed garlic and onion in olive oil, add some diced assorted vegetables (peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant etc.), throw in some raisins, garbanzo beans, 1T cumin and 3T of this wonderful ras-el-hanout... serve over couscous and you're off to a very happy evening!

This Ras El Hanout is a wonderful, authentic spice that is difficult to recreate yourself. It's hard to find and really enhances Middle Eastern cuisine. This blend includes lavender and roses, as well as more common cinnamon and cumin. Ras El Hanout gives a distinctive Middle Eastern flavor to a dish. I use it in my Moroccan chicken, which I prepare in a crock pot. A tagine would of course be even better! For my recipe, I use organic boneless chicken, a few tablespoons of high quality extra virgin olive oil, potatoes or sweet potatoes, quartered onions, lots of "baby" carrots, chick peas, cans of whole or diced tomatoes, diced garlic, honey, diced/chopped dried fruit such as apricots and/or prunes, chopped preserved lemon (you can buy or very easy to make), and then some additional cinnamon and cumin, plus black pepper in addition to Ras Al Hanout to taste. You do want to add enough to really flavor the "stew." Moroccan chicken is very healthy and fantastic served over whole wheat couscous. For a lower carb version, you can omit the potatoes and serve over greens. My kids love it, but it's also special enough for company. If you enjoy Moroccan food or experimenting with spices, it's a great addition to your pantry!

I love Morrocan chicken and a good Ras El Hanout spice is essential for this dish. I was suprised at this blend, it differs significantly in the balance of flavors from the one I was originally introduced to. This is a much more savory - curry-like spice than the more sweetly cinammon-heavy original I started with. I'll have to try others to understand better if there is a 'standard' for Ras El Hanout!

This spice blend means we give you the best we got. Zamouri is one of the most reliable and expert of shops on the web. I usually try to make my own blends, but for tagine, I let these folks do the work. My job is not letting it get stale. Four ounces is plenty. But I am a somewhat heavy user. Go with two ounces. The shelf life is about six months in the cool and dark before the power starts to fall off.

They have cute little spice tagines like the one pictured, and many more in a variety of colors and styles. But I am not good at presentation and I am happy with the jar it comes in. Fish, chicken, cauliflower, turnip -- all good! And you can go to the red side as well. But I could not resist their large tagine, charcoal burner and bellows to do some outdoors. High quality, tasty and fragrant. I cannot find or produce the equal. Surrender.

I love Middle Eastern spices and foods, so I look for fresh spices all the time. I stumbled on this and used it the other day in Black-eyed peas with green peppers, garlic, and onions...oh my goodness AMAZING! I have used it with extra Lean ground beef to make meatballs and gravy YUM! The combination is amazingly well blended. IF you have ever eaten at a real Moroccan restaurant and loved it...you'll love this. If you like Eastern Indian food, Dahl etc, you'll love this spice in your lentils and stews!!

'Ras El Hanout' means 'top of the shop', indicating a blend of many spices (in some instances, more than 100) as favoured by whatever spice merchant happens to be selling it to you. Thus, it varies greatly in composition from one merchant to another. Some are more 'traditional' blends than others, and some are just lazy Westernised versions about as exotic as K-Mart Curry Powder.

This is not a 'lazy' Ras El Hanout.

Coming in at a reasonable 35 spices (including Rose Powder, Lavender Powder, Grains Of Paradise, and 32 others), this lovely blend strikes just the right balance of spicy, sweet, floral, and savoury. I use it with Couscous, Hummus, Tabouli, Kebabs, Chicken Bastila - really anything North African or Middle Eastern. Hell, I'll even dust some Naan lightly with it prior to heating in my oven; I'm not some xenophobic Food Purist!

Try it, you'll like it...

As with many ethnic spice mixtures, there is no one recipe for Ras el Hanout. Each family and spice merchant has their own, highly treasured and guarded version of this traditional blend. This particular product is of high quality and arrived fresh (which isn't always the case with spices that I have purchased on-line).

Ras el Hanout starts off with strong, curry-like flavors that betrays it's Indian origins followed by subtle, traditional African flavors such as nigella and rosebuds. Although I was very pleased with this blend I do think that it is over-priced. I shop for most of my spices at ethnic markets (mostly Indian and Middle Eastern) and find their mixtures to be not only fresh but REALLY affordable. I am using this mixture with my new tagine and if I use it often enough I will seek out an African grocery store that has a similar product at a price that Moroccan expatriates will be willing to pay. If you don't live near a city that is large enough to have that type of store, then I think that this is the best Ras el Hanout available on-line. As a matter of fact, a tangine cookbook that I bought recently singled out Zamouri as THE source for this delicious, exotic blend.

Tagines & Couscous: Delicious Recipes for Moroccan One-pot Cooking
Emile Henry Flame Top 2.6-Quart Tagine Red
Harissa Paste 8.0 Oz By Zamouri Spices