Harissa paste is a spicy North African chilli condiment. This easy harissa paste recipe uses rehydrated dried chiles, chilli powder and toasted spices for an exceptionally fragrant and easy-to-make homemade harissa paste.
Yield1½ cups
Servings24
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 dried guajillo chiles
- 3 dried ancho chiles
- 2 dried chile de arbol
- 4 garlic cloves , peeled
- 3 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoons caraway seeds
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1½ teaspoons Kashmiri chilli powder
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
- ½ cup olive oil , divided
- 1 teaspoon salt , more to taste
Instructions
- Place a frying pan or skillet over high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the dried chiles and garlic cloves. Toast until fragrantly smoky and charred – about 2 to 3 minutes. Pick out the garlic and set aside.
- Transfer the chiles to a heat-proof bowl and cover them with boiling water. Place a small plate on top of the chiles to fully submerge them. Soak for 30 minutes, then drain the softened chiles. Remove the stems and roughly chop them along with the toasted garlic.
- While the peppers rehydrate, add the cumin, coriander and caraway seeds to the same frying pan and toast over medium heat until fragrant – about 2 minutes. Add the toasted spices to a food processor and blitz for a minute to break them down.
- Add the rehydrated chiles, toasted garlic cloves, tomato paste, and chilli powder to the food processor bowl containing the spices. Pulse a few times until everything is roughly chopped and well combined. Scrape down the sides as needed.
- Add the lemon juice, cider vinegar, 4 tablespoons of olive oil and the salt to the food processor. Blitz until you have a coarse, thick paste.
- Transfer the harissa paste to a small bowl and stir through the remaining 4 tablespoons of olive oil.
- Refrigerate the harissa in a sterilised airtight container and use it within a week. Or, for longer storage, cover the surface of the harissa paste with a thin layer of olive oil. This way, it will last for up to four weeks.
Notes
- If you don't have guajillo chile, ancho chile, or chile de arbol, you can use whichever dried chiles you have available. But, it will affect the flavour and heat of the harissa paste. See ingredients and substitutes for more alternatives.
- You can replace the Kashmiri chilli powder with ground cayenne pepper for a spicier harissa paste – start with ½ teaspoon and add more to taste. Or use smoked paprika instead for a smoky and mild harissa paste.
- Don't fret if you don't have all three spices in your pantry. Use the ones you have to make up for the ones you don't. Use 2 tablespoons worth of spices in total. And, if you don't have any whole spices, swap the seeds for ground cumin, ground coriander, and ground caraway (and skip the toasting step).