Lebanese 7-Spice Mixture (Sabe Bharat)
Adapted from Feast: Food of the Islamic World by Anissa Helou.
While Helou’s recipe calls for pre-ground spices — and of course that’s fine — this recipe calls for whole spices when possible, so the mixture is gorgeously fresh and aromatic when first mixed. If you go our route, you’ll need a spice grinder or coffee grinder dedicated to grinding spices. Or maybe you’ll love this down-to-earth, cast-iron manual spice grinder from Germany, with a nice small footprint so you can keep it handy on your countertop.
Makes about 1/4 cup.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon allspice berries
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon whole cloves
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Instructions
Place the peppercorns, allspice berries, coriander seeds and cloves in a spice grinder or coffee grinder dedicated to grinding spices and grind to a fine powder. Add the cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, and give a whirl to combine. Store in an airtight container.