Harissa carrots and preserved lemon potatoes: Helen Graham’s recipes for roasting vegetables with hawaij spice mix

The bold, lively and versatile flavours of the Yemeni spice mix bring out the natural earthiness of roast vegetables Hawaij is a Yemeni spice mix that came into my life during my time at the Palomar in London, and it has not left my spice cupboard ever since. It’s a mix of turmeric, black pepper, cardamom and ground coriander, giving it an earthy, vegetal flavour, and it’s traditionally used in soups and stews; it’s also a key component in zhoug, a spicy coriander and chilli sauce. It’s one of the most enlivening and versatile spice mixes I know, and should be your forever companion, too. Mango chutney is a wonder ingredient – I use it in marinades for robust, spiced fruitiness or, as here, I stir it through labneh for a highly delicious combination. If you’re making the labneh from scratch, there’ll be leftovers, which are great for sandwiches, and you’ll need to make it the day before. Prep 10 minChill overnightCook 40 minServes 4 For the labneh (makes 600g) 950g 5% fat greek yoghurt – I like Fage1 tsp fine salt For the hawaij (makes 6 tbsp)2 tbsp black peppercorns 2 tbsp cumin seeds 10 cloves 1 tbsp coriander seeds 1 tbsp ground turmeric ¼ tsp ground cardamom