Harissa Paste
A fiery, smoky North African chili paste built from roasted red chilies and warm spices.
Condiment
Vegan
How this varies: Some Tunisian households add a small spoonful of preserved lemon or a splash of vinegar for tang and shelf life instead of fresh lemon juice — both are legitimate regional tweaks.
Ingredients
- 10-12 dried chilies (a mix of mild dried New Mexico/guajillo/nora and a few hotter dried chiles de árbol or dried baklouti-style chilies), stemmed and seeded
- 4-5 cloves garlic
- 1 1/2 tsp caraway seeds, toasted
- 1 tsp coriander seeds, toasted
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted (optional — more a Moroccan-style addition than classic Tunisian)
- 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more to store
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vinegar or lemon juice (optional)
Steps
- Soak the dried chilies in hot water 20-30 minutes until fully softened; drain, reserving a little soaking liquid.
- Toast the caraway, coriander, and cumin (if using) in a dry pan until fragrant, then grind to a powder.
- Pound or blend the softened chilies and garlic with the ground spices and salt into a coarse-to-smooth paste, adding a spoonful of soaking liquid only if needed.
- With the blender or mortar running, work in the olive oil until glossy and emulsified — skip fresh peppers or tomato, which dilute the concentrated dried-chili character.
- Adjust salt and add vinegar or lemon juice if you like a brighter finish.
- Transfer to a jar and top with a thin layer of olive oil to seal.
- Refrigerate, topping up the oil layer after each use.