Harissa

Harissa is a fiery North African chile paste that's quick and easy to make at home with dried red chiles and tastes infinitely better than store-bought.

• Preparation Time: 10 mins
• Cooking Time: 5 mins
• Total Time: 15 mins
• Calories: 61 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, or more as desired
• 4 large cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1.5 teaspoons salt, or more to taste
• 0.5 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 3.5 ounces dried red chile peppers

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Break up chile peppers. Remove the stems and seeds and discard. Wear disposable gloves if working with medium-hot or hot peppers.

Step 2

Place chile peppers in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Let soak until softened, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain well, then dab dry with paper towels.

Step 3

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small skillet over very low heat and cook garlic until soft but still pale, about 3 minutes. Let cool, then transfer to the food processor together along with chile peppers.

Step 4

Toast caraway seeds, cumin seeds, and coriander seeds in the skillet over medium-low heat until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Crush them in a mortar and add to the food processor. Process while slowly adding remaining olive oil, scraping down the sides of the food processor as needed. Season with salt.

Step 5

Spoon harissa into a sterilized glass jar and level the top. Add enough olive oil so the surface is covered and the harissa won't dry out. Seal and refrigerate.