Khalta Harra (Chile-Spice Mix)
This chile mix packs a perfect balance of earthy, sour, and salty flavors with just enough heat from the sweet Aleppo pepper to let you know you’re alive but keep you from losing the other flavors. It’s equally at home as a rub for the grill, a garnish for mezze spreads, or a seasoning for roasted vegetables and sauces.
This recipe could easily be doubled or tripled and stay good for about a month in a dry, tightly sealed container. A larger batch can be stored in the freezer in a tightly sealed container indefinitely. It’s great to keep on hand for those nights when you need a quick dinner. Rubbed on ground meat or vegetables with a little olive oil, it can go from fridge to grill to table in about 10 minutes. If you can’t find dried lime, sumac makes an excellent substitute.
Reprinted with permission from Arabiyya: Recipes from the Life of an Arab in Diaspora by Reem Assil, copyright © 2022. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
Find this recipe and others like it in Sunset's story from the 2022 Home Issue, “How to Level up Your Mezze-Making Skills, with Help from Chef Reem Assil.”
How to Make It
1
Toast the coriander, cardamom, and cumin in a dry pan over medium heat until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. The spices will begin to dance around in the pan when they are close to being done. Be careful not to let them burn.
2
Once they are slightly darker in color and fragrant, remove them from the pan and let cool completely. Then grind them to a coarse powder in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle.
3
Mix with the Aleppo pepper, salt, dried lime, and cinnamon.
Ingredients
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp. whole coriander seeds
2 tsp whole cardamom seeds (about 17 pods)
2 tsp whole cumin seeds
6 tbsp Aleppo pepper
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp dried lime, ground
½ tsp ground cinnamon
Directions
1
Toast the coriander, cardamom, and cumin in a dry pan over medium heat until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. The spices will begin to dance around in the pan when they are close to being done. Be careful not to let them burn.
2
Once they are slightly darker in color and fragrant, remove them from the pan and let cool completely. Then grind them to a coarse powder in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle.
3
Mix with the Aleppo pepper, salt, dried lime, and cinnamon.
Search All of Sunset's Recipes
The Latest
Take a Tour of the Dreamiest California Take on a French Kitchen Garden
