Savory Hawaij (Yemeni Soup Spice Blend)

January 28, 2013

Savory Hawaij (Yemeni Soup Spice Blend) - kvalifood.com

Hawaij is a Yemeni pantry staple that comes in two versions: savoury and sweet. This is the savoury version, built on cumin and black pepper with turmeric for colour. It goes into soups, stews, and rice dishes.

Makes ca. 5 tbsp

Ingredients

2 tbsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp black peppercorns
1 1/2 tbsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp coriander seeds
2 tsp cardamom seeds (extracted from pods)
1/4 tsp whole cloves

Directions

Place the cumin seeds, peppercorns, coriander seeds, cardamom seeds, and cloves in a dry skillet over medium heat. Toast for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant. Do not let them smoke.
Transfer to a plate and let cool completely.
Grind the toasted spices in a spice grinder to a fine powder.
Stir in the ground turmeric until evenly combined. Store in an airtight jar. Keeps up to 6 months.

Notes

Use 1-2 tsp per pot of soup or stew. Works well in lentil soup, chicken soup, and rice dishes.
Turmeric is added after grinding because it is already a powder and burns during toasting.
For a Yemenite Jewish variation, add 1 tbsp caraway seeds.