Moroccan cooking tips & how-to guides
Page 4 of 5 · Showing tips 73–96 of 120
What to buy
Ingredients
Choosing the good stuff — olives, preserved lemons, saffron, dates, argan oil, lamb cuts and the rest of the Moroccan larder.
Store spices
How to Store Spices Properly for Moroccan Cooking
Keep your spice collection fresh, potent and organised — the rules that matter.
Read the guide
Measure without scales
Measuring Without Scales in Moroccan Cooking
Pinch, palm, glass and coffee cup — how Moroccan cooks measure without weighing.
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Dried fruits
Choosing Dried Fruits for Moroccan Cooking
Prunes, apricots, raisins and figs — choosing and using dried fruits in tagines and sweets.
Read the guide
Butter & fats
Selecting Butter and Fats for Moroccan Baking
Butter, oil, smen and vegetable fat — choosing the right fat for pastries, bread and sweets.
Read the guide Chickpeas & lentils
Choosing Chickpeas and Lentils for Moroccan Soups
Dried vs tinned, green vs red — which pulses for harira, bissara and lentil tagine.
Read the guide Water for tea
Choosing Water for Moroccan Tea
Hard, soft, filtered or tap — why the water you use changes your mint tea.
Read the guideSpice know-how
Spices & substitutes
Ras el hanout, cumin, saffron vs turmeric, smen, harissa — what they are, how to use them, and what to reach for when you can't find them.
Ras el hanout sub
Substitute for Ras el Hanout
No ras el hanout? Build a quick blend from cumin, cinnamon, ginger and more.
Read the guide Saffron vs turmeric
Saffron vs Turmeric: When to Use Each
Both go golden, but they're not interchangeable — flavour, colour and cost compared.
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Smen explained
What Is Smen, and How to Substitute It
Morocco's pungent aged butter — what it does and what to use if you can't get it.
Read the guide Preserved lemon sub
Substitute for Preserved Lemon
No preserved lemon? A quick-cure trick and honest stand-ins for that salty tang.
Read the guide Ras el hanout
What Is Ras el Hanout?
Morocco's legendary 'top of the shop' blend — what's in it and how to use it.
Read the guide Argan oil sub
Substitute for Argan Oil
Can't get culinary argan? Toasted nut oils get you closest to its finish.
Read the guide Cumin
Cumin in Moroccan Cooking
Morocco's most-used spice — where it goes, why it's on the table, and toasting it.
Read the guide Moroccan spice rack
What Goes Into a Moroccan Spice Rack
The dozen core spices behind almost every Moroccan dish — start here.
Read the guide Blossom water sub
Substitute for Orange Blossom Water
No orange blossom water? Rose water, zest and vanilla can stand in — with caveats.
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Ginger & turmeric
Ginger and Turmeric in Tagines
The warm, earthy pair in a tagine's spice base — fresh vs ground, and how they differ.
Read the guide Paprika types
Paprika: Sweet vs Smoked in Moroccan Food
Sweet paprika is the Moroccan default — why smoked changes the dish, and hot paprika's role.
Read the guide Cinnamon savoury
Cinnamon in Savoury Moroccan Dishes
Not just for sweets — cinnamon in tagines, pastilla and tfaya, and how to use it.
Read the guide Harissa sub
Substitute for Harissa
No harissa? Build the heat from chilli, garlic, cumin and a little tomato.
Read the guide La kama blend
What Is La Kama, the Northern Spice Blend?
Tangier's simple five-spice mix for soups and stews — the everyday cousin of ras el hanout.
Read the guide Saffron subs
Saffron Substitutes for Moroccan Cooking
Saffron's costly — turmeric for colour, safflower for looks, and honest expectations.
Read the guide Make ras el hanout
How to Make Ras el Hanout at Home
A custom blend you can tailor to your palate — warmer, sweeter, spicier, simpler.
Read the guide Black vs white pepper
Black Pepper vs White Pepper in Moroccan Food
Why Moroccan recipes sometimes call for white pepper — and when to use each.
Read the guide Dried herbs
Dried Herbs in Moroccan Cooking
When dried oregano, thyme and verbena are better than fresh — and when they're not.
Read the guideCook it hands-on in Marrakech
Put these tips to work in a class with a local cook.