Easy Food Recipes and Cooking - Harissa
Makes about 240ml
140g dried red chilli peppers, a mix of mild and strong, stemmed and seeded (keep some or all of the
seeds to make the harissa hotter) boiling water
½ tsp caraway seeds or ¼ tsp ground caraway
½ tsp cumin seeds or ¼ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp coriander seeds or ¼ tsp ground coriander
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp fine sea salt
6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, or more if needed
Harissa
1. In a heatproof bowl, cover the chilli peppers with boiling water. Set aside for 15 minutes to soften.
2. In a small frying pan, combine the caraway, cumin and coriander and toast over medium heat, stirring
often to prevent burning, until fragrant. Let cool completely. If you’re using whole seeds, grind in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle.
3. Drain the chilli peppers and pat dry with a kitchen towel. Transfer to a food processor or blender and add the ground spices, garlic, salt and olive oil and process until completely smooth, scraping down the sides regularly. Add a little more oil as needed to make the mixture smooth. Taste a tiny dab on a piece of bread (it may be hotter than you think) and adjust the seasoning.
4. Transfer to a jar and use within 1 month.