12 Essential Middle Eastern Ingredients and Where to Buy Them Online
This post is part of Andy Baraghani's Guide to Modern Middle Eastern Cooking. Get all his recipes, tips, and stories here.
Walk around a Middle Eastern street market and you'll notice tangy pomegranate molasses, delicately perfumed waters, and intoxicating spice blends that can enliven any dish with just a teaspoon or two. These are the key elements of my version of modern Middle Eastern cooking: vibrant and powerful ingredients that imbue each dish with flavor and character. Of course, not everyone has a Middle Eastern street market in their neighborhood. Luckily, most ingredients are now easy to find online. These are 12 of my favorites and where to buy them.
Photo by Alex Lau1/12Orange Water
Infused with orange blossoms or Damascus rose petals, the best orange water brands are delicate and should remind you of fresh flowers rather than potpourri (I like Mymouné). Add a splash to give depth to braises (it’s insane with lamb), transform a gin and tonic, or highlight the floral notes in a simple citrus salad.
Photo by Alex Lau2/12Aleppo-Style Pepper
The deep red, large-flaked pepper from Syria is the one I fell for first. It’s mild, slow-building heat is good sprinkled on, well, everything. Stir a few teaspoons with oil to act as a marinade for roast chicken or add a few pinches to your vinaigrette and spoon over greens. One of my favorite solo dinners is to sprinkle it on a hunk of feta and a no-regrets amount of olive oil and eat it with crunchy bread and loads of herbs. Learn more about Aleppo-style pepper.
Buy Aleppo-style pepper on Amazon or directly through Burma Spice, $11.99
Photo by Alex Lau3/12Sumac
The brick-red finely ground berries of the sumac shrub give an astringent, lemony brightness to whatever they touch. A sprinkle wakes up the simplest ingredients: steamed rice, cooked meats, or stone fruit.
Photo by Alex Lau4/12Pomegranate Molasses
Pomegranate molasses is just pomegranate juice reduced to a thick, sweet-tart syrup. Use it in place of citrus juice or vinegar in salad dressings, or treat it as a glaze on meats before grilling or roasting.
Photo by Alex Lau5/12Dried Limes
Dried limes are made by boiling limes in a salt brine then sun-drying them until they harden. Pierce the fruit a few times and add it to braises or stews for a musky, slightly fermented flavor.
Buy dried limes on Amazon or directly through Burma Spice, $10.99
Photo by Alex Lau6/12Urfa Biber Pepper
These dark Turkish chile flakes have a smoky-sweet flavor with a mellow heat. They’ll make your caprese pop in the summer and do wonders when whisked into a sweet onion-tomato scramble.
7/12Marash Chile Flakes
The slightly sweet, citrusy cousin of Urfa and Aleppo, this Turkish chile flake should feel slightly oily to the touch. Its soft heat allows it to be used almost like black pepper. Try adding a pinch at the end of frying eggs; the chile will bleed its color out once it touches the sizzling oil.
Photo by Alex Lau8/12Saffron
As an Iranian, I’m admittedly biased, but when it’s good, saffron simply can’t be compared to anything else. Grind 2 tsp saffron threads, along with a sugar cube or pinch of coarse salt, to a powder with a mortar and pestle or a spice mill to draw out the most flavor and color. Then add ¼ cup warm water and let cool. This is the vibrant elixir to use in your paella, buttery saffron rice, or risotto. Here's how to buy the best saffron.
Photo by Alex Lau9/12Dukkah
This Egyptian condiment is a mix of nuts, seeds, and spices that get crushed to small bits. It's especially great for delivering texture to popcorn, dips, and salads. Dukkah can also be easily made at home—here at Healthyish, we like to use a version of the savory spice blend to instantly upgrade our weekly meal prep.
Buy dukkah on Amazon or directly through Burma Spice, $16.99
Photo by Alex Lau10/12Baharat
Baharat is a finely ground spice mixture made with paprika, black pepper, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, and cardamom. The warming, all-purpose spice blend literally means "spice" in Arabic, and it has a huge flavor pay off. Use it to season steaks before grilling, or toss through root vegetables before roasting.
Buy baharat on Amazon or directly through Burma Spice, $12.99
Photo by Alex Lau11/12Barberries
I like these small berries in crunchy salads (plump them in water first), as decoration on bejeweled rice, or on top of roast chicken (warm them in melted butter and sugar to mellow). Raisins or dried sour cherries are acceptable, if less tingly, substitutes.
Photo by Alex Lau12/12Advieh
This spice blend usually consists of cinnamon, cardamom, rose, clove, and sometimes mace and nutmeg. Pre-ground, the dried flowers are especially beautiful. Advieh has a sweet and delicate aroma that is commonly used to perfume rice pilafs or season roasted meat. I think it’s especially nice sprinkled on lamb or chicken before braising.
