You can use it in numerous ways—I personally like it on pretty much anything: oatmeal, scrambled eggs, soups and stews or, more traditionally, with couscous.
Avoid touching your eyes and face when working with chilies, or wear kitchen gloves.
You can also control the heat of your harissa by the quantity of chili seeds you’ll leave in.
Add them all in if you like it super spicy, or deseed the chilies completely (cut horizontally and scrape with a knife) for a milder taste.
Here’s what goes in and what it looks like after pulsing in a food processor.
Harissa will keep for several months stored in a cool place or in the refrigerator.
Harissa used three different ways:
Add harissa to these recipes:
Cheesy Egg Nests
Chickpea Tomato Curry
Zucchini Slices With Feta and Parsley
Now you.
What’s your favorite spicy condiment? Have you been to Tunisia or Morocco? What are you gonna use harissa on?
Tell me in the comments.
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Harissa: North African Chili Paste
- Prep Time: 40 min
- Cook Time: 10 min
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
Description
Harissa is a brick red, fiery-hot Tunisian condiment made from chilies, garlic and spices.
Ingredients
- 30 dried chillies, such as Guajillo, New Mexico, or California, or a mixture
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
- 1½ teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1½ teaspoons sea salt
- Olive oil
Instructions
- Put plastic disposable gloves on or remember not to touch your face or eyes to avoid burning.
- Cut the stems off the chillies and discard them. Place chilies in a big bowl, and pour boiling water over them. Make sure they are fully submerged. You can place a plate with a heavy can on top.
- Soak until soft, about 40 minutes. Drain the chilies, making sure to squeeze out the water.
- Place the chilies, garlic, coriander, cumin, salt, and a ¼ cup of olive oil into a food processor and pulse. Stop and scrape the sides of the food processor. Pulse again, add more olive oil in a slow stream until a smooth paste forms.
- Transfer the harissa into a glass jar or another container, smooth out the surface, pour a thin layer of olive oil on top, and secure with a lid. Store in a cool place, dark place or refrigerator.
- After every use, make sure the surface is smooth and there’s a thin layer of olive oil. The harissa will keep for minimum six months.
Notes
- This recipe easily doubles.
- Put a bow on it and bring as a gift.
- My favorite ways to use harissa: stirred into savory oatmeal; stirred into vegetable soups and stews; with eggs, on toast; with couscous.
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