Recipe

Harissa spice paste

This fiery chilli paste is responsible for the kick to many North African dishes and can also be used as a condiment for grilled fish and meat.

Jan 14, 2020 1:00pm
  • 25 mins cooking
  • Makes 2 Cup
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Ingredients

Harissa
  • 45 gram dried long red chillies
  • 2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 2 teaspoon coriander seeds
  • 100 gram roasted red capsicum, coarsely chopped
  • 3 clove garlic, crushed
  • 2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra, to serve
  • 1/4 cup water

Method

Harissa
  • 1
    Trim and discard chilli stems; place chillies in small heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water; stand 1 hour. Drain.
  • 2
    Meanwhile, dry-fry cumin and coriander seeds in small frying pan until fragrant. Cool. Use mortar and pestle to coarsely crush seeds.
  • 3
    Process chillies until finely chopped. Add crushed seeds, capsicum, garlic, salt, oil and the water; process until mixture forms a thick paste
  • 4
    Spoon harissa into small sterilised jars (see tip); drizzle extra oil over surface and secure lids. Refrigerate.

Notes

To sterilise jars, wash jars and lids in warm soapy water; rinse well. Place jars in large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil; boil 10 minutes. Carefully drain water from jars; transfer jars and lids to a baking tray lined with a clean tea towel. Cover with a sheet of foil and place in a slow oven until dry. Use straight from the oven. Large, dried chillies are available from Asian food stores. Harissa is extremely hot. Serve in small amounts with meat, poultry and couscous. Harissa will keep in the fridge for up to 10 days.

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