Easy homemade harissa recipe
If you love all things spicy you’ve got to try this delicious harissa recipe. It’s pretty versatile too and you can use it to rub your next chicken recipe or how about adding a spoonful through your homemade mayonnaise. It will instantly transform any dish! It’s originally from Middle Eastern cuisine and is closely related to North African dishes. But you will find it widely used around Tunesia, Morocco
Making harissa
Now for this harissa recipe you need just a few basics. There are many different versions of harissa out there, so feel free to add or remove certain ingredients if you don’t like them or don’t have them in your pantry. The first time I made the recipe I used rehydrated chiles. But over the course of a few years the recipe has changed significantly and the one you see here is my favorite.
Table of Contents
You need the following ingredients:
- fresh peppers
- fresh garlic cloves
- tomato paste
- extra virgin olive oil
- cumin seeds or ground cumin
- coriander
- smoked paprika
- lemon juice
- sugar
The heat level of the harissa recipe will vary depending on which chile peppers you’ll be using. I went for regular red chili peppers but there are many different hot peppers out there. So use whichever one you want, but keep in mind that heat levels can vary considerably between the different peppers.
Now once you have assembled all the ingredients the rest is super easy. You can clean the chili peppers by removing the seeds if you want it less spicy but if you go for spicy all the way keep them in. As said the level of heat will vary considerably. I even find that sometimes a red chili pepper is much more mellow than the other time. So make sure to test it before you use them.
Making the hot sauce
Now once you have all the ingredients you simply add them to the bowl of a food processor or use a stick blender to turn it all into a smooth paste. To help the process along, I do cut most of the ingredients a little smaller to make it easier to get to a smooth paste.
Once done taste if it needs anything extra and save it in the fridge for 2-3 weeks. It’s best if you add a thin layer of olive oil on the top so it doesn’t dry out. Cover with plastic wrap to be sure or save in an airtight container.
Where do I use the harissa?
Now that you’ve made the harissa recipe you will want to use it. I literally put it in everything. I make a delicious harissa aioli or turn it into a salad dressing. It goes really well with sweet potatoes too and I love rubbing it on chicken thighs or beef skewers. And because it uses only a handful of ingredients it is also easy to vary with the contents.
Variations and additions
Sometimes caraway seeds are added to the mix and coriander seeds or even red bell peppers are an easy addition.
How long can you store harissa?
You can store the harissa recipe in the refrigerator for about 2-3 weeks. Make sure there is a small layer of oil on the top then it will stay good the longest and won’t dry out.
Can I freeze the harissa?
Yes you can also freeze the harissa in portions. I find with this kind of hot paste it’s handy to freeze it in an ice cube holder. Then you always have portions you can use right away.
What is the difference between harissa and sambal?
Both are made from chili and are somewhat similar in spiciness but the difference is mainly in the added ingredients and flavor profile. While harissa comes from Tunisia, sambal has Asian origins. Although sambal oelek appears to have been brought to Indonesia by Portuguese and Spaniards. So I dare not tell you exactly but the difference is mainly in taste. Where sambal is used in a recipe you can usually also use harissa
What can I substitute harissa with?
Suppose you have a recipe that calls for harissa and you don’t have it in stock. In that case, you can usually replace it with sambal, but also look at sriracha. This is generally a bit more liquid in texture than harissa or sambal but in terms of spicyness it can serve as a substitute just fine. Of course, it depends on which recipe you need it for.
What else can I do with harissa?
As I mentioned above, you can use harissa to give your meat a nice spicy finish. But besides that, I like to put it in dressings or simply a spoonful through mayonnaise. You can use it to flavor couscous, rice, curries, add it to a tajine dish and much more. It’s a pretty flexible ingredient! Anywhere you need some spice, harissa can be the answer.
Harissa
Equipment
- blender
- Immersion blender
Ingredients
- 10 pcs red chili fresh
- 6 cloves garlic peeled
- 1/2 tbsp salt
- 1/2 lemon juice
- 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 70 gr tomato paste
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp anis seed
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
How to make harissa
- Do you love spicy? Then leave the seeds in the chili's. If you're looking for a little milder, remove them before chopping them up. Or go half/half.
- Cut the chili peppers roughly in pieces and add to the food processor.
- Add garlic, salt, lemon juice, olive oil, tomato puree, sugar and all the spices.
- Turn it into a pasta and keep it in a clean jar. It's best to pour a little bit of oil on top.
- It will keep in the fridge like this for at least two weeks.
Notes
Nutrition Information per portion
Disclaimer
The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.
