Loosely translated baharat means herbs and spices. It’s an Arabic blend and your kitchen will hum with the voluptuous smells from the cooking of the chicken with this spice mix. When I do not have time to make my own mix, I buy Katherine Clarke’s Alexandra’s Bazaar range, available in most delicatessens and some superamrktes. They are so easy to use and the baharat mix is one of my favourites in the range as it goes so well with most meats and vegetarian dishes. But if you’re a spice fan, here’s my favourite spice guru’s (Ian Hemphill) recipe, that I regularly keep on hand.

Ingredients

• ¼ cup black peppercorns
• 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
• 2 tablespoons cassia bark
• 2 tablespoons whole cloves
• ½-1/3 cup cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon cardamom seeds
• 2 whole nutmegs
• ¼ cup ground paprika

Method

1. Grind together the black peppercorns, coriander seeds, cassia bark, whole cloves, cumin seeds and cardamom seeds. Grate the nutmeg and mix with the paprika into the ground spices.

Cooks Tips

- Prepared baharat spice blends can be found in the spice aisle, near the delicatessen or international section. - Cassia comes from a tropical evergreen tree that is related to the bay laurel and, indeed, the leaves are often called Indian Bay and are used in North Indian curries. With a high volatile oil content, cassia needs to be stored with care. The quills and bark will keep 2-3 years in an airtight container while the ground cassia has about a 12 month shelf-life. It is one of the spices in Chinese Five Spice.