We’ve shied away from doing a Turkish spice blend recipe on the blog until now. Because, well, what defines a Turkish spice blend?
For us, the very phrase created the impression that whatever Turkish people are cooking in their kitchen, whatever Turkish dishes chefs are creating in local restaurants, everyone is using the same seasoning blend.
And if you know Turkish cuisine, you’ll know that is just not the case.
An Indispensable Go-To
But then, many of us do have ready made, multi purpose seasonings on our spice shelves, don’t we?
Cajun seasonings, ras el hanout, garam masala…
And, depending on who made these – your own spice mix or shop bought – they will each have their own flavour, colour and texture.
Key ingredients – more or less of each, depending on preference – and some added extras, too.
A spice mix is an indispensable, time saving and (hopefully) exceptionally tasty go-to.
Turkish Spices
When it comes to shopping for spices in Turkey, it’s not just about a neat row of narrow jars in the supermarkets.
It’s time to get hardcore.
The Egyptian Spice Bazaar (Mısır Çarşısı) in Istanbul is one of the most famous spice markets in the world.
Here, you can buy dried herbs and spices that will transport you to the world of Western and Eastern Mediterranean cooking, the cuisines of the Middle East and beyond.
But here, too, in our hometown of Fethiye, we have our own selection of spice stalls on the local markets and small stores around the Fethiye fish market.
Here, you can pick up your condiments or dried herbs and spices – essential ingredients – that will give you all the flavours you need for your Turkish cooking.
The common and the not so common.
And they’re sold by weight.
No pretty, narrow jars, here. Turkish cuisine uses a LOT of herbs and spices. So you purchase your spices accordingly!
Different Homemade Spice Blends
The owners of these stalls also sell their own homemade spice blends – the exact recipes of which are sometimes kept secret – and customers each have their favourite.
A blend for chicken (tavuk baharat), for example. One for lamb, beef, fish, salad.
And if you like to make your own köfte, there’s even one for that – köfte baharat.
A high quality go-to that the home cook can just reach for to give what might have otherwise been a bland weeknight dish a real Turkish spices flavour boost!
How To Use Your Turkish Spice Blend
So, what do we mean when we talk of Turkish spice mix?
It’s a comforting, warming blend of a group of the signature spices of Turkish cuisine.
Rather than raiding your spice cupboard and lining up an array of dried herbs and spices for your Turkish recipes, this is a go-to, multi-purpose jar of all your Turkish favourites in one place.
And then, whatever you’re making, you can add whatever extras are appropriate – and whatever suits your personal taste.
You can use your Turkish spice blend as a:
- Dry rub: If you’re doing a barbecue, pat your meat dry and then massage your Turkish spice blend into the meat before cooking.
- Marinade: When we make chicken shish kebabs, for example, we can create a marinade with a mix of baharat seasoning and olive oil with a squeeze of fresh lemon. This both tenderises and flavours the chicken.
- Yoghurt meze: Mix some of your Turkish spice blend into süzme yoghurt with some lemon juice and fresh garlic. A perfect dip for your Turkish balloon bread, bread sticks and other ‘dippers.’ We’re thinking carrot sticks and celery sticks.
- Warm salad coating: There are so many variations of chickpea salad. As you saute your chickpeas in olive oil, add a spoonful of your spice mix and stir it in to coat the chickpeas for a lovely warm flavour.
- Stews and casseroles seasoning: You’re not going to go far wrong by adding a spoonful of Turkish spice blend to meat dishes like our sucuk güveç or veggie güveç and other vegetable dishes. And if you’re making a stew at home, give it a warm glow with a bit of the blend. We recently added some to a cassoulet so don’t feel like you need to limit yourself to exclusively Turkish dishes.
A spoonful added to soups – our homemade tomato soup, for example – works well. And we can also recommend adding some to your brunchtime menemen.
Turkish Spice Blend Ingredients
So, what are these signature ingredients that are going to go in our Turkish spice blend?
- Sweet paprika: This is our base. We get through so much paprika in our general Turkish cooking, so it’s no surprise that this is going to be the most plentiful ingredient. Made from red pepper, the sweet paprika will give us both the warm flavours and the warm colours we’re looking for.
- Kekik: Again, our kekik jar is on the large side because we use so much of it. If you have a Turkish store near you, pick up some kekik. If not, kekik is an all encompassing word for dried Turkish oregano or thyme.
- Cumin seeds: For the purposes of our spice mix, seeds are more preferable to ground cumin.
- Coriander seeds: These are going to be toasted along with the cumin seeds so that you can fill your kitchen with the fabulously pungent aroma – and extract the warm flavours for your spice blend.
- Black pepper: Black peppercorns will go into your pestle and mortar – or spice grinder – with your cumin and coriander seeds. All will be ground to a rough consistency. Don’t worry about making a fine powder.
- Pul biber: Chilli flakes or hot red pepper flakes. Again, don’t worry; the amount in our recipe won’t make your baharat seasoning mix too hot. This is a gentle heat to compliment to rich flavours.
- Dried mint: Another of the large jars on our spice shelf. So many Turkish dishes used dried mint. And you’d be surprised how much the addition of mint leaves lifts this spice blend whilst not necessarily being a standout flavour.
- Sumac: Another spice that will lift the blend. Sumac is a favourite of ours and has gorgeous zesty flavours.
- Garlic powder: If you’re making a dish that requires fresh garlic, don’t worry about this garlic powder making your dish too garlicky. The powder works well to bring all the flavours of the spice blend together.
Our Turkish spice blend recipe doesn’t contain salt.
That’s a personal choice on our part because we like to have control of how much or how little salt we need to use, depending on what we’re cooking.
And that’s it!
Once you’ve toasted your ground cumin and coriander and ground them with your peppercorns, mix them all together and store them in a jar on your spice shelf – or other airtight container – for up to 6 months.
If you’re like us, though, your jar will be empty before those 6 months are up!
Our Turkish Spice Blend Recipe
Turkish Spice Blend (Baharat Seasoning Mix)
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- 2½ tablespoons sweet paprika
- 1½ tablespoons kekik (or dried thyme or oregano)
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- ½ tablespoon chilli flakes
- ½ tablespoon sumac
- ½ tablespoon dried mint
- ½ tablespoon garlic powder
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First of all, place your small frying pan over a medium heat and add your cumin seeds and coriander seeds.
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Toast them for a maximum of 4 minutes, until their aromas start to release and then pour them into your pestle and mortar. Don’t allow them to burn.
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Add your peppercorns to the mix and pound and grind the mixture.
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Do this until you have a rough blend.
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Now mix in all of your other spice blend ingredients.
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Add your spice blend to a jar or other airtight container and enjoy in your dishes for up to 6 months.
- This Turkish spice blend recipe will add warmth and richness to a whole host of dishes.
- Feel free to add more or less of each ingredient to your blend, depending on your personal preferences. We find this recipe to be good as a base. Then we can add any extras to dishes, depending on what we’re cooking.
- We don’t add salt to our Turkish spice blend because we like to have control over how much we’re using, depending on what we’re cooking.
- Some recipes for Turkish spice mix will include cinnamon. Our blend is designed to be an all-purpose seasoning, so whilst we might add a tiny pinch of cinnamon to our homemade köfte, we certainly wouldn’t want it to be present in other Turkish dishes. This is a spice we can just add as and when.
Afiyet Olsun!