Quick Red Harissa
Hot, spicy and smokey, we call this wonderful sauce "Quick Red Harissa'. Quick to make, it is; a wonderful spicy sauce with layers of flavour from red peppers, garlic, smokey chilli, caraway seeds and cumin, it is. However, an authentic harissa, it really isn't! Providing a complex hit of spices and heat, this sauce works wonderfully well with any meal where you want to inject a dash of warmth and spice.
Makes around 500ml
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons caraway seeds or 1 teaspoon ground seeds
- ½ teaspoon ancho chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon chipotle chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon chilli flakes
- 2 teaspoons coriander powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin powder
- 360g jar roasted red peppers
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, taken from the red peppers, if in oil
- 20g/5 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 teaspoon runny honey or light brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons chipotle paste
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
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Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.
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Heat a frying pan to medium hot and add the caraway seeds. Cook for 15 – 30 seconds, stirring from time to time, until fragrant.
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Add the chilli powders, chilli flakes, coriander and cumin to the pan and cook for a further 15 – 30 seconds, stirring, until fragrant. Transfer to a spice grinder and blitz until you have a powder. Transfer to a food processor.
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Add the remaining ingredients to the food processor and blitz until the sauce is smooth. You may need to stop the processor from time to time and scrape down the sides of the jug/bowl.
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Transfer to a sterilised jam jar/s and store for up to one month in the fridge.
Recipe Notes
Equipment
- kitchen scales and measuring spoons
- frying pan
- spice grinder
- food processor
- lemon reamer
How can I use the sauce?
- a condiment with grilled and/or roast meats and meatballs
- delicious with falafel
- on the side with mezze
- on burgers
- swirled through sour cream or yoghurt
- mixed with hummus
- added to salsas
- drizzled on avocado
- mixed with yoghurt and used to marinade meat
- as a topping for tacos