Hawaij - Traditional Spice Mix from Yemen.

Um Safia's Note:

Hawaij is essential to the cuisine of Yemen - use it liberally as a rub for grilled meat, poultry, seafood, and vegetables. Try it sprinkled into soups, stews, sauces, and rice to liven the flavours up a bit!

• Total Time: 7 mins
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 2 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 1.5 cups

• 6 ½ tablespoons black peppercorns
• ¼ cup cumin seed
• 2 ½ tablespoons coriander seeds
• 1 ½ tablespoons green cardamom pods
• 1 ½ teaspoons whole cloves
• 3 ½ tablespoons ground turmeric

Directions:

1. Put everything except the turmeric into a frying pan & dry fry (no oil required) for a couple of minutes.
2. Allow to cool, grind using a spice / coffee grinder or mortar & pestle. Add the turmer, mix well & store in an container in a cool, dark place.

Reviews

[Cookgirl]

Outstanding spice mixture which we used as a dry rub for cut up chicken. My husband slow roasted the chicken for 2 hours @ 325 then switched to broil and cooked each side 5 minutes for crispy skin. The chicken tasted like it had been grilled outdoors. Delicious! The best part is there was no salt added to either the chicken or the rub but it tasted like it did. Served with simple sidedishes of quinoa, fresh local green beans, corn on the cob; and a fruit platter with plain yogurt, orange blossom water and honey. We'll be enjoying the leftovers for dinner tonight. Thank you!

[luvcook'n]

Oh...the spicy aroma... it filled my kitchen. DH was mmmmm ing when he walked in. I used it on chicken....and oh...the flavour!!! I have not had any experience in Yemen cooking...but this (as my first venture) is more than enough for me to delve deeper into their cooking. I would love to find recipes (to start) that incorporate this mixture. Thank you Um Safia for sharing. I made this for The Alphabet Soup tag game.

[Chef #1325661]

Works for so many dishes! Fantastic balance, thank you!