Whilst on holiday in Andalucia, Spain we purchased a spice mix typical to the region and was used for a delicious meal consisting of lamb, yoghurt and the spice mix... we purchased a few bags of the stuff from the local market after much confusion with the language barrier but never managed to find out the exact individual spices and now we have ran out! Does anyone have any idea what might go into said spice mix? Im desperate to get some more or make some myself!

Thanks in advance!

xxclairexx

You might have to be a little more specific with what the actual dish was called...

as you could have been eating an Indian Style Lamb Tikka dish made with yoghurt and spices to marinade it in (just because you were in a Spanish place doesn't mean thats what you were eating)... could have been simply a roast lamb dish with a spicy yoghurt dip?... if you could explain a little more about what it was/looked like/tasted like?...

Spanish cooking often uses Paprika, Saffron, Garlic and others depending on which dish it was.

Steve

Hi,

I make Mexican Red Rice, which is probably a version of Spanish rice. And I'm sure you can add various spices to it. This is how I make it:

ODETTE'S BASIC MEXICAN RED RICE

In a heavy saucepan on a low - medium heat or pot fry half an onion, chopped until it softens.

Add:

2 teaspoons sweet, deepest red paprika powder

any other spices, flavorings of choice - minced garlic/cayenne/minced green chile and so on

Stir in and cook for minute

Add, stir in and cook for another minute :

1 cup / 8 oz / 225 gr long grain rice

Add:

2 cups / 480 ml chicken stock or stock of choice

Bring to a very gentle simmer on very lowest heat. Cover and steam without peeking for 20 - 25 minutes.

Turn off heat. Fluff up rice with a fork. Serve.

Odette

Hello Odette

This sounds simple and delicious!

Mexican spice mix that you buy ready made, smells very strongly of cumin, it probably has cumin powder in it. It has something like oregano or marjoram flavour as well in it. Some times they use chopped coriander leaves or Cilantro, as they call it over there. Do you use cumin and any herbs in your dish?

Mamta

Hi Mamta,

Yes, it's super simple. I'm sure the recipe must originate (in the distant past that is) via Moorish Spain from Persia or India. It's so similar in manner to certain rice dishes from those places, don't you think? This particular recipe uses the paprika mainly for color.

I often use a lot of herbs and spices in my Mexican/Southwest dishes, though not usually in the rice. Usually the rice and corn accompaniments are fairly plain in contrast to the spicy and aromatic dishes and sauces served with them. The Mexican spice mixes you mention typically contain oregano and cumin as well as powdered garlic and onion (not my favorites in their dried form!) and sometimes mild chile powder. That's pretty much what's in them. Cilantro is coriander - usually fresh leaves - dried leaves don't quite have the same flavor, although will do if no fresh is available. Like yourself with Indian spice mixes, I often make up my own! Mexican and Southwest dishes often use very mild/sweet or medium hot chile powder or paprika for the color and flavor and fresh green chile (jalapeno and serrano chiles are common) for heat. Actually the so-called spice mixes are more generic American than authentic Mexican/Southwestern, as most authentic dishes will vary in the proprtions of various individual spices and herbs they use. So for example, when making chile con carne, instead of using a spice mix, I will simply add whatever chile I like that day - e.g. red, green, hot, mild, fresh, dried etc and then ground cumin and oregano, and fresh garlic to suit my preferences. I've always thought that real Mexican/Southwest cooking isn't a million miles away from certain types of Indian cooking with regards to using herbs and spices as a complex aromatic/flavor palette - and they are big on cooking dishes in sauces too. Take Mole (of which there are many, many variations) for example - very curry like!

You might find this of interest

http://saveur.com/article.jsp?ID=15284&typeID=120

Hi Odette

I agree, Mexican food, specially things like beans and rice, tortillas, certain meat/chicken/fish dishes and relishes, pickled vegetable etc. do resemble Indian cuisine. They tend to be a bit hotter than average Indian cuisine though. I also agree that fresh ginger and garlic are infinitely better. Cilantro/coriander is always growing in my garden and I use fresh. Dry or frozen is useless. I still have it in spite of the cold weather here. (If you sow it in September, it generally lasts through thick frost and snow, if it is slightly protected by a tree or a wall). I make chilli sometimes, but less so now that girls have left home.

I would love to have a few authentic Mexican recipes of some of the most popular dishes (on this side of the pond) on my website, things like Chilli con carne, beans (vegetarian, no chicken/meat stock), something like a mole, enchiladas/tacos, a good rice dish and a good marinade for BBQ meats. Fish recipes will be specially nice, as we don’t very often see them mentioned in Mexican foods. It will be good if the recipes make a complete meal, including a popular dessert. If you are game, do share your recipes with the rest of my readers. Please write to me and send them to me via the ‘contact’ link at the top of the page and not by posting here. You know the format, just look at any of the recipes.

The site was interesting!

Keep in touch.

Mamta

Hallo Claire,

I´m spanish but I´ve never heard of any spice blend to be mixed with yogurt and lamb, maybe if you were a bit more specif I could help. As far I know yogurt has almost no use in spanish cooking, that´s why I think this mix is far from being

"a typical spanish" product. Anyway if you were more specific I could try to find out something else, what is made of or whatever.

Greetings from Spain and happy new year to everyone

Hi Claire,

the only dish I can think of that fits your description are 'pinchos morunos' ('moorish skewers'). The dish is reminiscent of the moorish reign in Spain and the traditional version uses lamb (even though after the Spanish defeated the moorish kings in the reconquista they started to use pork instead...)

In my recipe the spice mix (for marinading 600 g of meat) consists of 1 teaspoon of cumin, 1 pinch of cayenne pepper, 2 tablespoons of mild (sweet) paprika, freshly ground black pepper and salt plus olive oil.

Even though when served as tapas, you don't usually get the yoghurt sauce with it, but with salad, yoghurt and bread it turns into more of a North African dish.