Sookies Souk Blend

Flavor profile

Warm first, floral underneath, long finish. Nineteen spices: cardamom, mace and cloves set the warmth; long pepper, galangal and three kinds of pepper the lift; cumin beldi and cinnamon beldi the Moroccan ground; nutmeg, calabash nutmeg and star anise the depth — and dried rose buds, because a Moroccan blend isn't finished without a little perfume. No salt, so you season the pot yourself.

How to use

For vegetables, roasted meats and couscous. Rub it on chicken thighs, bloom it in oil for lentils, or start a Friday couscous with it. A little goes far — chouiya first, taste, then more.

The spices had to earn the jar

Ras el hanout means "head of the shop" — the blend every attar keeps as his signature, the one he's judged by. No two shops in Morocco agree on it, and arguing about whose is right is half the point. This one is mine. It went into years of catering tagines and couscous before it carried my name. A beautiful jar does not get a free pass — dinner still has to taste good.

Artwork by Hafida Zizi

The jar wears an original painting by Hafida Zizi, the Moroccan artist whose work dresses all three blends in The Souk. Amber glass, black lid, made to refill and keep.

Ingredients and practical information

Ingredients: cardamom, mace, cloves, allspice, long pepper, galangal, ash tree seeds (lisan al-asfur), black pepper, white pepper, ginger, turmeric, cumin beldi, cinnamon beldi, coriander, nutmeg, calabash nutmeg, dried rose buds, star anise, bay leaf.

Net weight: 71 g (2.5 oz) · Salt-free · Blended and packed in small batches in Manhattan · Ships within New York State.

Other Moroccan blends

Chermoola — the marinade fish asks for by name.
Tagine Nights — the blend for the pot that sits on low heat all afternoon.

Build a Moroccan gift box

Three recipes. Three paintings. A very good-looking dinner plan.
Everyone brings wine. Bring spices. →