Homemade harissa paste is the best
Harissa paste is a hot and spicy North African sauce. It is a staple in Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria, where it is typically eaten as a condiment or added to dishes such as stews, sauces, soups or couscous. The main ingredients are roasted red peppers, dried or fresh chillis, garlic, olive oil and spices such as coriander, cumin and caraway seeds. Harissa paste has become more and more popular in Europe and many other countries in the world. Today, it is quite easy to get hold of in most supermarkets or delis. However, there is nothing that compares to the deliciousness of homemade harissa paste!
Preparing the ingredients
There are two ways to prepare the peppers. You can either blister them under the grill, or you can cook them on an open flame on the stove (or the braai/barbecue). Once the peppers have blistered, place them in a bowl and tightly wrap it with cling wrap. This will make them sweat and detach the skin from the flesh of the peppers.
In terms of what kind of chillis to use, typically Baklouti or Serrano peppers are used. But you can really use any hot chilli. We have a habanero chilli plant on the balcony. I dry some of the the chillis, and freeze the rest. This variety of chilli is very spicy, so I typically use half habanero and half of a different kind. But really, as I said, you can use any variety that you have available. If you want your harissa paste to be very spicy, then don’t remove the seeds and membranes from the chillis. If you want to make it a little milder, you can remove them. You can also increase or decrease the quantity of chillis added to the paste, according to how hot you would like it.
Use top quality spices
For maximum flavour, it’s very important to use good quality fresh spices. Ideally, you should toast whole spices in a frying pan on a medium heat, then grind them yourself. Ground spices lose their potency very quickly when exposed to air, so it is better to store spices whole.
This harissa paste is fantastic in so many dishes. It keeps well for about two weeks in the fridge, and can also be frozen. I love adding it to stews, sandwiches, dips, hummus, pasta, pizza, roasted vegetables, salad dressings… and really, anything that takes my fancy!
Hot and Spicy North African Harissa Paste
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Ingredients
- 1 bell pepper
- 10 dried whole chillis
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 3 tbsp. olive oil, plus extra to drizzle on top
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 tsp coriander seeds, dry roasted and ground
- 1 tsp. cumin, dry roasted and ground
- 1 tsp. caraway seeds, dry roasted and ground
- 1/2 tsp. salt
Instructions
- Preheat the grill to high.
- Place the dried chillis in a small bowl, and cover with hot water. Leave to soak.
- Cut the pepper into quarters and remove the seeds and membrane.
- Place the pepper quarters on a baking slide. Put them under the grill and cook until the skin blisters and starts to blacken a little.
- Place the blistered peppers in a bowl and wrap tightly with cling wrap. Leave them to sweat until cool. When they are cool, peel off the skins and roughly chop the peppers.
- Drain the soaking chillis. If you want your harissa paste to be very spicy, leave the membranes and seeds in the chillis. If you want to reduce the heat a little, slice the chillis in half lengthwise and then remove the seeds and membrane.
- Place the red pepper, chillis, crushed garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, coriander, cumin, caraway seeds and salt into the jug of a standup blender or the jug of a stick blender. Blend until smooth.
- Place the harissa paste into a tupperware. Cover with a thin layer of olive oil and store in the fridge for two weeks maximum. Alternatively it can be frozen and then defrosted as needed.
