Hot Pepper Paste (Harissa)
Condiments Arabic Sauces and Salsa
This is a condiment made from hot peppers called harissa, used in Moroccan and Tunisian cuisine. If you add a little rosemary to my recipe, you get the Moroccan version; if you add a few mint leaves, you get the Tunisian version; and if you add a little cinnamon, you get the paste used in Jordan.
I already have two recipes on the site where I used this hot pepper paste: bulgur with vegetables and chicken skewers. The paste is very hot, but you can add 1-2 roasted peppers or tomato paste to tame the heat.
Other uses:
- plain or combined with yogurt makes a great meat marinade
- if you combine it with roasted peppers, you can serve it as a sauce for grilled meat
- those who prefer spicy food can add it to stews or sauces
- to make spicy marinated olives (add 1-2 teaspoons of harissa to my recipe)
Ingredients
15 dried hot peppers
3-4 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
5-6 tablespoons olive oil
Yield: 3-4 tablespoons of paste
How to prepare hot pepper paste (harissa)
- Clean the hot peppers of seeds and stems. Use gloves for this operation, otherwise the peppers will burn your skin.
- Place the cleaned peppers in hot water for 30 minutes to 1 hour to soften.
- Crush the garlic with a bit of salt until it becomes a paste.
- Toast the coriander and cumin in a pan (without any added fat) until you smell them becoming fragrant. Shake the pan occasionally so the spices do not burn. Then grind the spices in a coffee grinder.
- Place the toasted spices in a small blender (I used the coffee grinder since I do not have a blender that can process such a small quantity), add the crushed garlic, the peppers drained of water and dried with paper towels, and the rest of the salt. Blend well until it becomes a paste.
- Put the paste in a bowl and slowly add the oil, like making mayonnaise, stirring until you get a smooth paste. Put the resulting paste in a jar and store in the refrigerator.
Cleaning the dried peppers
Soaking the peppers
Toasting the spices
Hot Pepper Paste (Harissa)
Hot Pepper Paste (Harissa)
