Harissa

Harissa is a fiery chilli paste widely used in North African cooking

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harissa
Recipe AuthorAlice Cameron
Date22 June 2019
People4
MachineManual Mode
Preparation time 5 Minutes 30 Seconds
Rest time 1 Hour
Cooking time 2 Minutes
Total time 1 Hour 7 Minutes 30 Seconds

Harissa is a spicy and wonderfully flavourful chilli paste from Tunisia and other North African countries. The ingredients vary depending on the country or region but it always contains either red or green chillis, oil and it is usually seasoned with spices like cumin, caraway and coriander.

Harissa has many used in cooking, it can be used as a marinade, sauces, seasoning, in salad dressings, stews, soups and as a dip.

In Tunisia, it is commonly eaten with flatbread and raw vegetables, like carrots, celery or cucumber

Harissa is great in couscous or as a coating for chickpeas before roasting! You can add it to things like yoghurt and humans to add an incredible fiery flavour!

You can even add it to mayonnaise to spice up some burgers!

It is used as a marinade for meats like chicken, lamb and beef, it also goes well with fish like salmon and mackerel.

This recipe is really easy and the end result is so much better than anything you can buy in the shops! It will last for 1 month in the fridge just make sure it’s covered with oil as this will preserve it for longer.

Ingredient list

IngredientQtaUMNotes
Chilli pepper 150gdried, medium heat
Garlic 5clove
Coriander seeds 1TSP (UK)
IngredientQtaUMNotes
Caraway seeds 1TSP (UK)
Cumin seeds 0.5TSP (UK)
Salt 0.5TSP (UK)
Water 0to taste

Step nr: 1 - Cut chilli stems and soak them

Ingredient list for step nr: 1

IngredientQtaUMNotes
IngredientQtaUMNotes
Water 0to taste
Preparation time 1 Minute
Rest time 1 Hour
Total time 1 Hour 1 Minute

Cut chilli stems and add the chillies to a big bowl with water. Leave to soak for an hour.

Step nr: 2 - Toast the seeds

Ingredient list for step nr: 2

IngredientQtaUMNotes
Coriander seeds 1teaspoon (UK)
Caraway seeds 1teaspoon (UK)
IngredientQtaUMNotes
Cumin seeds 0teaspoon (UK)
Cooking time 2 Minutes
Total time 2 Minutes
Temperature130 Degrees Celsius

Toast coriander seeds, caraway seeds and cumin seeds in a frying pan.

Step nr: 3 - Grind the spices

Preparation time 3 Minutes
Total time 3 Minutes

Once toasted remove the spices and grind into a powder.

Step nr: 4 - Blend all the ingredients

Ingredient list for step nr: 4

IngredientQtaUMNotes
Garlic 5clove
Coriander seeds 1teaspoon (UK)
IngredientQtaUMNotes
Caraway seeds 1teaspoon (UK)
Cumin seeds 0teaspoon (UK)
Salt 0teaspoon (UK)
Preparation time 1 Minute
Total time 1 Minute

Add chillies, garlic, spices and salt to a food processor and blend into a paste.

Step nr: 5 - Add olive oil

Ingredient list for step nr: 5

IngredientQtaUMNotes
Extra Virgin Olive Oil 2tablespoon (UK)
Preparation time 30 Seconds
Total time 30 Seconds

Once smooth add 2 tbsp of olive oil and blitz again.

Step nr: 6 - Transfer to a bowl and use

Ingredient list for step nr: 6

IngredientQtaUMNotes
Extra Virgin Olive Oil 2tablespoon (UK)
TimeNo times for this step

Transfer to a bowl and cover with the rest of the olive oil.