The holiday season is in full swing, and with them, the undeniable urge to reach for something cozy. This time of year also reminds us to give back, whether that means shopping sustainable and mission-driven brands, or expanding your palate to explore new ideas and flavors. Our Afghan-harvested spices offer a wide range of flavors to explore and spice up your winter meals, backed by a heart-warming cause you can feel good about.
Discover some of our favorite cozy winter recipes, including easy and flavorful saffron recipes and spice blends that you’ll reach for over and over again.
Pot Roast with Garam Masala Spice Blend
It’s no secret that garam masala, a traditional northern Indian spice blend, is a savory crowd-pleaser, loved for its warm and bright ingredients reminiscent of your favorite Northern Indian dishes. Our unique garam masala spice blend brings these cozy qualities to your home kitchen.
Pot roast can really make a winter meal shine with just a few simple ingredients, customizable to your taste with your favorite veggies. Why not add our garam masala spice blend to the mix for a Middle Eastern spin on your family’s favorite recipe? Cassia cinnamon, paprika, and clove add warmth and spice, while classic Indian flavors like fenugreek, cardamom, and Rumi Spice Herati Coriander bring a unique brightness and complexity to an otherwise heavy dish.
Serve alongside roasted potatoes or noodles, or reach for some of our favorite flavorful sides like saffron rice or Harissa roasted carrots.
Harissa Roasted Carrots
If you’ve ever tried Harissa paste, you know that this combination of chili, garlic, and paprika is a surefire way to add complex heat to your favorite dishes. With our Harissa blend, you can always have that unique heat flavor on hand - whether you use it as a spice or whisk it into olive oil for a quick harissa paste.
We’ve added Rumi Spice Black Cumin and Herati Coriander to our harissa spice blend for added herbaceousness on top of the traditional blend of chilis and garlic. For our Harissa Roasted Carrots, combine this spicy blend with olive oil and toss to coat before roasting to golden perfection. Not only do these carrots make a colorful addition to your dinner table, but you’ll notice them quickly disappearing as soon as you set them down!
Saffron rice
No matter what you plan to serve as your show-stopping entree this season, delicious sides are the best way to round out the meal. Saffron adds an air of elegance to your starches like rice, lending its golden hue and subtle, floral qualities.
Saffron rice is perhaps our favorite, and simplest, saffron recipe. By blooming the saffron threads in warm water, you can extract the flavor of these golden threads and ensure even distribution into your rice. The end result is a show-stopping bowl of golden grains to complement proteins and veggies alike.
Our Rumi Spice saffron is sourced from our partners in Afghanistan, who harvest these rare and delicious spices. By partnering closely with local farmers and vendors, we are able to support local economies in Afghanistan and deliver high-quality spices like saffron that you can feel good about in flavor and in practice.
Roasted Pear and Delicata Squash Soup with Kabul Piquant Spice Blend
A soup course can make any meal feel elegant and cozy. This time of year, we love to reach for pears, and their delicate sweetness is perfectly paired with seasonal squash and complemented by the zesty flavor of our Kabul Piquant spice blend. The best part about this Delicata and Pear soup is that it requires minimal effort for maximum and beautiful results. The addition of our Kabul Piquant spice blend adds the final touch of citrusy, zesty flavor to this wintery warming soup.
Our Kabul Piquant spice blend is named for the vibrant spice kiosks in Afghanistan, full to the brim with aromatic items like orange peel, rose petals, ginger, and hibiscus. We’ve added some of our signature spices like Wild Foraged Fennel, Herati Coriander, and Rumi Spice Saffron to keep this blend grounded in herbaceous notes. The result is an aromatic blend not dissimilar to those of a classic winter simmer pot.
Sprinkle our Kabul Piquant spice blend over top of your blended soup for a dash of color and complexity, adding as little or as much as you like. You’ll notice an immediate aromatic note that brings the individual spices alive in the heat of your bowl. You’ll also notice a golden streak as you stir it in, thanks to the saffron!
Mulled Wine with Rumi Mulling Spice
When the winter chill sets in, toast to the season with a cozy mug of mulled wine. Our fan-favorite Mulling Spice blend comes around at a special time of year, with warming winter notes like orange peel, allspice, ginger, and cardamom. Our unique blend is inspired by the flavors of Afghanistan, with the addition of Rumi Spice saffron to lend its sweet, earthy, and subtly floral qualities.
Mulled wine is an easy and impressive way to up the ante on that bottle of Merlot. We’ve added raisins and almonds to our recipe for added body and a touch of Middle Eastern flair. Brown sugar rounds out the drink with a touch of sweetness, which complements the sweet and subtly earthy flavor of saffron. We recommend simmering the ingredients in a slow cooker to give the spices extra time to infuse and to add even more spicy-sweet aromas to your home.
Wherever the season takes you this year, we’re excited to be a part of your table. Get inspired with the flavors of the Middle East, and add a little spice to your next wintry meal.
