B’ZAR
ARABIAN GULF
B’zar is an indispensable spice mixture in the Arabian Gulf, and shortly before Ramadan most households will get busy preparing their b’zar to last them not only the month of Ramadan but also the whole year. This recipe comes from my delightful friend, Maryam Abdallah, who was the first celebrity Qatari TV chef. I often eat at her home when I am in Doha and both she and her sister Aisha al-Tamimi, Qatar’s foremost celebrity chef, have taught me to make many Qatari dishes. The following recipe was handed down by their mother. Maryam buys her spices whole in the souk. She washes them at home and puts them out to dry in the sun before grinding them. She then portions them in bags, which she keeps in the freezer to take out when she needs to.
MAKES ABOUT 1½ CUPS (200 G)
½ cup (75 g) black peppercorns
½ cup (50 g) cumin seeds
½ cup (25 g) coriander seeds
2 tablespoons whole cloves
2 tablespoons broken Ceylon cinnamon sticks
2 tablespoons green cardamom pods
2 tablespoons small dried red chilies
2 whole nutmegs
2 heaping tablespoons ground ginger
2 tablespoons ground turmeric
Put the whole spices in a food processor or spice grinder and process until finely ground. Transfer to a large bowl and add the ground ginger and turmeric. Mix well. Store airtight in a glass jar and keep it in a cool dark place for up to one year, possibly longer.
TUNISIAN B’HARAT
TUNISIA
B’harat means "spices" in Arabic and this Tunisian mixture is a simple 50/50 mélange of dried rosebuds and cinnamon that is used in both baking and cooking. You do not need a recipe here. Just grind as many rosebuds (removing the core and stem if any and just using the petals) as you need and mix with an equal quantity of ground cinnamon. Store in a cool dark place in a hermetically sealed glass jar.