Harissa is not used in Asian food culture. But since living in Europe, this name has constantly pop into my sight. Until recently, I knew the main ingredient of harissa is roasted red pepper, which is something I love, and I couldn’t wait to try out this basic harissa recipe and share it with you!
There are uncountable harissa recipes in the world. Some people add spices (coriander, saffron…), some use different kind of chillis so the end product’s colour can be much darker. In this version, we only need 5 ingredients: red peppers, red chilli, garlic, olive oil and salt. Probably you’ve already got everything on hand!
This basic harissa recipe is straight forward and easy to follow, nothing tricky. All you need is patience, as the red peppers need time to get sweet. Your hard work will pay off as the harissa is so tasty and healthy!
Ingredients
Makes: Enough to fill a ⌀8.5 cm ramekin
- 3 red pepper (650 g)
- 1-2 fresh red chilli, deseeded
- 5 cloves of garlic, minced
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp olive oil
How to Make Basic Harissa with 5 Ingredients
- Preheat the oven to 150ºC (fan mode).
- Cut the red peppers into quarters, then remove the seeds. Place the peppers together with the chillis on a lined tray and roast for 40 minutes, or until they are wrinkled.
- Let them cool down and peel off the skin if it bothers you (not in my case), then blitz into paste using a food processor.
- Heat the olive oil in a pan, stir in the paste with the garlic and cook over low heat for about 40 minutes. Stir occasionally. The goal here is to evaporate the water and enhance the flavour. The sauce should be thickened gradually. Have a taste, add more salt if necessary.
- To store the leftover, pour over enough olive oil on top to cover and store in the fridge.
