We have avoided making a Turkish spice blend recipe on the blog until now. Because, well, what defines a Turkish spice blend?
For us, the phrase itself created the impression that whatever Turks cook in their kitchen, whatever Turkish dishes chefs create in local restaurants, they all use the same mixture of seasonings.
And if you know Turkish cuisine, you will know that this is not the case.
An indispensable point of reference
But many of us have ready-made all-purpose seasonings on the spice shelves, don’t we?
Cajun seasonings, ras el hanout, garam masala…
And, depending on who made them (your own spice mix or store-bought ones), each will have its own flavor, color, and texture.
Key ingredients – more or less of each, depending on your preference – and some added extras too.
A spice mix is an indispensable, time-saving and (hopefully) exceptionally tasty product.
Turkish spices
When it comes to buying spices in Türkiye, it’s not just about a neat row of narrow jars in supermarkets.
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 purchase dried herbs and spices that will transport you to the world of Western and Eastern Mediterranean cuisine, Middle Eastern cuisines and beyond.
But even here, in our hometown of Fethiye, we have our selection of spice stalls in the local markets and small shops around the Fethiye Fish Market.
Here you can pick up your own condiments or dried herbs and spices – essential ingredients – which will give you all the flavors you need for your Turkish cooking.
The common and the less common.
And they are sold by weight.
No cute, narrow jars here. Turkish cuisine uses a LOT of herbs and spices. So 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 each of the customers has their own favourite.
A chicken mix (tavuk baharat), for example. One for lamb, beef, fish, salad.
And if you like to make your own köfte, there’s one for that too: köfte baharat.
A high quality dish that the home cook can simply take to give what would otherwise have been a bland weeknight dish, a real pop of Turkish spice flavor!
How to Use Turkish Spice Blend
So, what do we mean when we talk about Turkish spice mixes?
It’s a comforting and warming blend of a bunch of typical spices of Turkish cuisine.
Instead of raiding the spice cupboard and lining up an array of dried herbs and spices for your Turkish recipes, this is a multipurpose jar that gathers all your Turkish favorites in one place.
And then, whatever you’re making, you can add the appropriate extras and whatever suits your personal taste.
You can use your Turkish spice blend as:
- Dry rub: If you’re barbecuing, pat dry the meat and then massage the Turkish spice blend into the meat before cooking.
- Marinade: When making chicken shish kebabs, for example, we can create a marinade with a mix of baharat seasonings and olive oil with a squeeze of fresh lemon. This tenderizes and flavors the chicken.
- Meze with yogurt: Mix some of your Turkish spice blend into the yogurt süzme with a little lemon juice and fresh garlic. A perfect sauce for Turkish bread, breadsticks and other “dippers”. We’re thinking carrot sticks and celery sticks.
- Warm salad dressing: There are many variations of chickpea salad. While sautéing the chickpeas in the olive oil, add a spoonful of the spice mix and stir to coat the chickpeas for a delicious warm flavor.
- Seasoning for stews and casseroles: You won’t 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 hot twist with some of the mixture. We recently added some to a cassoulet, so don’t feel obligated to limit yourself exclusively to Turkish dishes.
A spoonful added to soups, such as our Homemade Tomato Soup, works well. And we can also recommend adding some to your brunch menemen.
Turkish spice mix ingredients
So, what are these signature ingredients that will go into our Turkish spice blend?
- Sweet paprika: This is our base. We use so much paprika in our general Turkish cooking, so it’s no surprise that this will be the most abundant ingredient. Made from chili peppers, sweet paprika will give us both the warm flavors and warm colors we’re looking for.
- Oregano: Again, our kekik jar is quite large because we use so much of it. If you have a Turkish shop near you, get some kekik. Otherwise, kekik is a catch-all word for dried Turkish oregano or thyme.
- Cumin Seeds: For our spice blend, seeds are preferable to ground cumin.
- Coriander seeds: These will be toasted alongside the cumin seeds so you can fill your kitchen with the fabulously pungent aroma and extract the warming flavors for your spice blend.
- Black pepper: The black peppercorns will go into the pestle and mortar – or spice grinder – along with the cumin and coriander seeds. Everything will be ground to a rough texture. Don’t worry about creating a fine powder.
- Money pepper: Chili flakes or hot chili flakes. Again, don’t worry; the amount in our recipe will not make the baharat seasoning mixture too hot. This is a gentle heat to pair with rich flavors.
- Dried mint: Another one of the large jars on our spice shelf. Many Turkish dishes used dried mint. And you’ll be surprised how much the addition of mint leaves elevates this spice blend while not necessarily being a great flavor.
- Sumac: Another spice that will improve the mixture. Sumac is one of our favorites and has wonderful tangy flavors.
- Garlic powder: If you’re making a dish that calls for fresh garlic, don’t worry about garlic powder making your dish too garlicky. The powder works well to bring together all the flavors of the spice blend.
Our Turkish Spice Blend recipe does not contain salt.
This is a personal choice on our part because we like to have control over how much or how little salt we use, depending on what we’re cooking.
And that’s all!
After toasting the ground cumin and coriander and grinding them with the peppercorns, mix them all together and store them in a jar on the spice shelf – or another 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 Blend)
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- 2½ spoons sweet paprika
- 1½ spoons oregano (or dried thyme or oregano)
- 1 table spoon cumin seeds
- 1 table spoon coriander seeds
- 1 table spoon black peppercorns
- ½ table spoon chilli flakes
- ½ table spoon sumac
- ½ table spoon dried mint
- ½ table spoon garlic powder
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First of all, place the pan over medium heat and add the cumin and coriander seeds.
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Toast them for a maximum of 4 minutes, until their aromas begin to release and then pour them into the pestle and mortar. Don’t allow them to burn.
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Add the peppercorns to the mixture and crush and grind the mixture.
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Do this until you get a coarse mixture.
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Now mix all the other ingredients of the spice mixture.
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Add your spice blend to a jar or other airtight container and enjoy your dishes for up to 6 months.
- This Turkish spice blend recipe will add heat and richness to a whole host of dishes.
- Feel free to add more or less of each ingredient to your mixture, depending on your personal preference. We find this recipe to be good as a base. Then we can add any extras to the dishes, depending on what we are cooking.
- We don’t add salt to our Turkish spice blend because we like to have control over how much we use, 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 while we might add a pinch of cinnamon to our homemade köfte, we certainly wouldn’t want it in other Turkish dishes. This is a spice that we can simply add as and when.
Enjoy your meal!
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