Yummmmy, thanks. A definite do.
Lance--
Here are a couple blends...:
Berbere (bear-bear-ee), the Ethiopian blend, ubiquitous in their cuisine--and a favorite of mine--is spicy and hot. You can lessen the heat by changing the chilies if you wish.
12-15 dried African birdseye peppers, stemmed and partially seeded (sub 1 T cayenne or a mix of ground chilies, according to desired heat)
10 green cardamom pods
10 cloves
1 t cumin seeds
1 t coriander seeds
1 t fenugreek seeds
6 allspice berries
2 t black peppercorns
1 t ajowan fruits (sub 1.5 t dried thyme)
1 t ground ginger
.5 t ground nutmeg
If needing to add salt to this (necessary for some recipes) add about 2 T. As a rub, salt the meat first, apply over the salt when the meat moistens.
If using ground spices just measure out the equivalent amount (use 1 t for the whole cloves and allspice berries). Heat a small dry skillet over med heat till hot. Crack the cardamom pods and add them to the pan with the other whole spices. Shake or stir constantly and toast till aromatic and somewhat colored, usually a couple or three minutes. (If subbing ground for whole spices, toast the whole spices most of the way then add the ground for the last 15 seconds or so. Do not not the thyme or ginger; the nutmeg you needn't toast.) Immediately pour the spices on a plate to cool.
Pop the cardamom seeds out of the pods, discard the pods, then grind any whole spices (plus the thyme if subbing) very well in your grinder. (If you toasted ground spices just include the whole lot in the grinder--no need to pick out the whole spices for grinding.) Remove to a bowl and stir in the ginger and nutmeg.
In Ethiopia, the primary meats are chicken and other small poultry (not turkey), lamb and goat. These are nearly always stewed with onions and berbere. Hard-boiled eggs are often added to the stewa few minutes before serving. I make these but I also use berbere as a rub, usually for lamb or goat shoulder, whole or steaked, slow-cooked, and as a rub for beef steaks. One can vary the intensity of the finish simply by using less rub or more.
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Baharat (bah-hrat), is the name for many spice blends one finds from Arab northeast Africa to the northwest Middle East (Syria, Jordan), the Gulf States, to non-Arab Iran. Though there are many versions across the ME, and even from vendor to vendor in the same market, many use the spices below in varying amounts. Here's my usual version:
3 T black peppercorns
2 T coriander seeds
1 cinnamon stick, about 3.5 inches, broken up, or 2 T ground
2 T cloves
3.5 T cumin seeds
1 T cardamom seeds
2 T ground nutmeg
2-4 T ground mild, med or hot chilies or a blend
Toast the whole spices as noted in the berbere recipe, adding any ground spices used plus the cardamom seed for the last 15 secs of toasting. Cool, grind and stir in the nutmeg and ground chilies.
Variations: Sometimes I do not add chilies or vary the amount and/or heat level. I occasionally add the powder of ground dried limes (2-3 T). They may be available at the market. Seed before grinding.
I use this in similar ways as I use berbere.