Harissa Seasoning is a North African hot red sauce or paste whose main ingredients are chilly peppers (often smoked or dried) and garlic. Though most closely associated with Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria, it is a standard ingredient of North African cuisine.
Harissa often contains seeds like coriander, caraway, or cumin, and usually olive oil. It may also contain tomatoes. It is used both as a condiment and as an ingredient in recipes.
This mix is the dried main constituents to which you should add the wet ingredients like Olive oil and Tomatoes if so desired.
Ingredients in Harissa Seasoning:-
Paprika
Garlic
Coriander Seed
Caraway
Mint
Salt
Chilli
Cumin
To Use Harissa Seasoning:-
To make Harissa Paste add 3 tablespoon of Harissa mix to 25ml of olive oil and the crushed cloves of between 4 to 6 cloves of garlic and the juice of 1 lemon. If too thin, then add more Harissa mix, if too thick add more olive oil and lemon.
To make Harissa Sauce add 3 tablespoon of Harissa mix to 25ml of olive oil and the crushed cloves of between 4 to 6 cloves of garlic and the juice of 1 lemon. Add 1 medium tin of tomatoes or as many well chopped fresh tomatoes to make a thick sauce.
Traditional Uses of Harissa:-
In Tunisia, Harissa is served at virtually every meal as part of an appetiser.It is also used as an ingredient in a meat (goat or lamb) or fish stew with vegetables, and as a flavouring for couscous. It is also used for lablabi, a popular chickpea soup usually eaten for breakfast. Lemon juice is sometimes added. In Saharan regions, Harissa can have a smoky flavour.
The paste (which may vary from one region to another) is also sold in tubes, jars, and cans. In the West it is eaten with pasta, in sandwiches and on pizza. In some European countries like Germany it is popular as a breakfast spread for tartines or rolls, and one finds varieties of Harissa or Harissa-themed spreads in almost every supermarket. Harissa paste can be also used as a rub for meat or aubergine.
Recipe for Tunisian Lablabi ( Chickpea Soup )
300 grams dry chick peas
4 to 6 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons harissa mix
juice of one lemon
six tablespoons olive oil
a few slices of day-old bread, preferably day-old french bread, broken into small pieces
Olive Oil
Method
Wash chick peas and soak them overnight. Rinse chick peas. In a large soup pot, cover chick peas with water, bring to a boil, and cook until tender (around 20 minutes) Add garlic, harissa mix. Simmer for ten minutes. Immediately before serving: add lemon juice, olive oil, and bread crumbs. Serve hot.
