Chic African Culture Africa Factbook

Cumin Makes the Best African Herb Sauce Recipes

Cumin Makes the Best African Herb Sauce Recipes

Make the best North African cumin herb sauce for dinner tonight.


Cumin is a low-growing annual herb of the Nile valley, but cultivated in the Mediterranean region, Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, India, China, and Palestine from very early times and is a strong tasting herb. Cumin plants mature in about two months when the stems are cut and dried in the shade; one of the main ingredients in green chermoula is cumin. 

Green plants plus cumin make the best African herb sauce recipes.


Green Chermoula North African Herb Sauce

One of the main ingredients in North African green chermoula sauce is cumin. Cumin has a nutty peppery flavor and chermoula is a green plant-based North African herb sauce traditionally served with seafood. 

Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min


North African Green Herb Sauce

Ingredients
½ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
5 parsley sprigs minced
5 cilantro sprigs minced
½ teaspoon lemon extract
2 teaspoons ground paprika
2 teaspoons ground habanero powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin powder
½ teaspoon salt

Directions
Combine all ingredients and blend on low speed to a rough paste, while the blender is still running slowly add oil and blend until thick paste forms. Store in a container in the refrigerator. 

More info on cumin

Cumin seeds are one of the world's most popular spices. Cumin is the seeds or fruit of the plant and is a slender annual plant. Cumin is native to Egypt, India, and the Mediterranean regions but spontaneously grows in many parts of Africa. Being an earliest known minor seed spice used by humankind, the characteristic pleasant aroma of this seed is due to high oil content.

Much of the crop in the North African regions are hand-harvested. The crop is ready to harvest when the plant withers and the seed loses its dark green color. Cumin is produced and traded worldwide and the major producing and trading countries are Egypt, India, Pakistan, and the Middle East.

Cumin is an herb or spice that is used to flavor foods of various kinds, curries, bread, cheeses, sausages, and as a flavoring in such dishes as chili and other similar dishes in both whole and ground form.

Black cumin is native to Southern Europe, West Asia, India, and North Africa. The small triangular seeds are velvety black in color. Its initial place of origin is most probably West Asia. Black cumin has been in use in the Orient since presumably more than 3,000 years. 

Now that you know about cumin spice, make homemade North African curry powder recipe with ground cumin seeds quick, easy, no additives or fillers and it tastes better than your store-bought curry powder.

Cumin seeds
Cumin seeds


North African Curry Powder Recipe

Ingredients
7 oz. Cumin seeds
2 oz. Coriander seeds
1 dried chili pepper
7 oz. Mustard seeds
1 dried Bay Leave
8 oz. Cardamom seeds
2 oz. Saffron

Directions
Accurately weigh all ingredients. Add all ingredients to a spice or coffee grinder and grind into a powder. Store in an airtight container. 

African chicken curry powder recipe with ground cumin seeds
African chicken curry powder recipe with ground cumin seeds

More easy breakfast, lunch and dinner recipes to make right now so you never have to eat or prepare a boring meal again.

  1. Curried Tanzanian Coconut Okra Recipe
  2. Ethiopian Scrambled Egg Breakfast
  3. Senegalese Chicken Vermicelli
  4. Chadian Steamed Honey Cassava Buns
  5. Nigerian Breakfast Fried Akara and Ogi

Chic African Culture and The African Gourmet=

More Articles to Read from Chic African Culture

Show more

This Week’s Best Posts and Pages

Cuban Military Presence in Angola

Image
The Cuban military had a long-lasting presence in Angola, with thousands of troops stationed there during a political conflict. The Cuban intervention in Angola had significant international implications and was seen as part of the broader Cold War rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union.  Angola, a former Portuguese colony in southern Africa, was in the midst of a struggle for independence from Portuguese colonial rule. This war for independence lasted from the early 1960s until 1974, when the Portuguese Carnation Revolution led to the decolonization of Portuguese Africa. When Portugal withdrew from Angola in 1975, it left a significant hole in the political landscape in the country. This withdrawal marked the end of decades of colonial rule and set the stage for the country's transition to independence. However, it also created a political void, as there was no clear, unified government to take control. In the absence of Portuguese colonial rule, many Angolan polit
Read the Article

Sand Traveling from the Shores of Ghana to New England

Image
The journey of a grain of sand from the shores of Ghana to New England, USA, is an important reminder of the interconnectedness of all existence.  It serves as a reminder that even the smallest and seemingly insignificant elements of our world are subject to the grand tapestry of natural processes and the relentless passage of time.  It also invites us to reflect on the intricate web of relationships that underlie our existence and the profound implications of our actions on the global scale. The journey of a grain of sand from the shores of Ghana to New England, USA, shows how interconnected our world is despite vast distances. Sand grains on the shores of Ghana, like those on coastlines worldwide, are constantly subject to natural processes such as erosion. Waves, tides, and weathering gradually break down rocks and minerals, producing sand. The Atlantic Ocean separates Ghana from the eastern United States. Ocean currents, including the North Atlantic Drift and the Gulf Stream, are c
Read the Article

Sofala: A Key Stop on Covilhã's African Odyssey

Image
Sofala, historically known as a significant trading town, holds a special place in the history of Eastern Africa. Located on the eastern coast of Africa, in what is modern-day Mozambique, Sofala was a bustling and strategic port during the late medieval period and the Age of Exploration. Navigating the waters around Sofala was no small feat. The Indian Ocean currents and shifting sandbars made the approach to the Sofala coast treacherous. Pêro de Covilhã's successful navigation of these waters demonstrated his seafaring prowess and furthered Portugal's ambitions to dominate maritime trade routes. To Portuguese explorers, Sofala was not merely a geographical destination but a vibrant crossroads of cultures and trade during the late 15th century. The Age of Exploration in the late 15th century was a transformative era in African human history. It was a time when intrepid European explorers set out on perilous journeys to chart unknown territories, establish trade routes, and unco
Read the Article

How Water Shapes Borders

Image
African rivers shape land, borders, create cultures, and history. Rivers are pathways; 30% of all borders in Africa are rivers. African rivers shaped countries, cultures, and civilizations with natural liquid borders. The continent of Africa is home to numerous rivers that have played significant roles in shaping its landscape and political boundaries. These water bodies have acted as natural barriers, demarcating borders between countries and sometimes influencing the development of cultures and civilizations. For instance, the Nile River, one of the world's longest rivers, flows through several African nations, including Egypt and Sudan. Its fertile banks have historically supported advanced civilizations and shaped the region's history. The Nile's course has also defined borders and influenced interactions between these countries. In West Africa, the Niger River has played a similar role. It traverses several countries, such as Nigeria, Mali, and Niger, serving as a cruc
Read the Article