Homemade Harissa
Harissa is the North African chilli paste that makes the kofta recipe sing — earthy, fragrant, and deeply savoury. It's easy to make at home, and this recipe works with ingredients you can find in any Buenos Aires dietética or supermarket.
Choose your own adventure: the mild version uses roasted red capsicums for a smoky, flavour-packed paste with zero heat, while the hot version adds dried chillies for a proper kick. Both keep for two weeks in the fridge and freeze beautifully in ice cube trays.
How to Make Homemade Harissa
1. Roast the morrones (both versions)
- 1
Put your gas burner on high. Place a morrón rojo directly on the grate over the flame — no oil, no pan, just the pepper on the fire. Use tongs.
- 2
Let it sit until the skin on the bottom is completely black and bubbling, about 2–3 minutes, then rotate a quarter turn. Keep going until the entire surface is charred and black. This takes 10–15 minutes total. It should look burnt — that's correct.
- 3
Transfer the charred morrones to a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap or a plate. Leave for 10 minutes. The steam trapped inside loosens the skin from the flesh.
- 4
After 10 minutes, use your fingers to peel off and discard all the charred skin — it will come away easily. Pull out the stem and scrape out the seeds. Don't rinse the flesh under water — any little bit of char left on is flavour. Roughly chop and set aside.
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2. Rehydrate the chillies — hot version only
- 1
If you're making the mild version, skip this section entirely.
- 2
Put 5 dried hot chillies (ají picante seco or chile de árbol) in a small bowl. Pour over enough just-boiled water to cover them. If they float, weigh them down with a small plate.
- 3
Leave to soak for 15 minutes until they are completely soft and pliable.
- 4
Drain and discard the soaking water. Pull off and discard the stems. For less heat: cut them open and shake out the seeds. For maximum heat: leave the seeds in. Set the softened chillies aside.
3. Toast & grind the spices (both versions)
- 1
Measure out the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and caraway seeds (if using) and put them all into a small dry frying pan — no oil.
- 2
Place the pan over medium heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon or shake the pan. After about 60–90 seconds you'll smell a nutty, warm aroma and the seeds will just start to look golden. The moment you smell them, take the pan off the heat — they go from done to burnt in seconds.
- 3
Tip the toasted spices into a mortar and pound with the pestle until you have a rough, sandy powder. No mortar? Put them in a small zip-lock bag and crush with a rolling pin, or use a spice grinder.
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4. Blend everything together
- 1
Put the following into a food processor or blender: the roasted morrón flesh (all of it), the 4 garlic cloves (raw), the ground spices, 1 tablespoon of tomato paste, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of salt, and the juice of half a lemon.
- 2
MILD VERSION: also add 1 teaspoon of sweet smoked paprika (pimentón ahumado dulce) now.
- 3
HOT VERSION: also add the drained, rehydrated chillies and ½ teaspoon of cayenne (if you want extra heat) now.
- 4
Blitz for about 60 seconds until you have a smooth paste. It should be thick, deeply red, and slightly textured — not completely smooth like a sauce. Stop and scrape down the sides halfway through.
- 5
Taste it. Does it need more salt? More lemon for brightness? More cayenne for heat? Adjust and blitz again for 10 seconds.
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5. Jar and store
- 1
Spoon the harissa into a clean glass jar. Use a spoon to smooth the surface completely flat.
- 2
Pour 1–2 tablespoons of olive oil directly over the top to form a thin sealing layer. This keeps air out and the harissa fresh. Every time you scoop some out, smooth the surface and add a little more oil on top.
- 3
Seal the jar and refrigerate. It keeps for up to 2 weeks in the fridge.
- 4
To freeze: spoon into an ice cube tray, freeze solid (about 2 hours), then pop the cubes into a zip-lock bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. One cube is enough for a full batch of the kofta recipe.
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How to Serve
This paste is the base for the Spiced Lamb Kofta in Harissa Tomato Sauce — it's what the sauce is built on. Make a batch for the kofta and keep the rest in the fridge: spread it on flatbread, stir it through yogurt, rub it on chicken before roasting, or swirl it into a bowl of soup.
- Spiced Lamb Kofta in Harissa Tomato Sauce — spiced lamb meatballs simmered in a rich harissa and tomato sauce. This is what the harissa is made for.
The Recipe
Prep15 min
Cook35 min
Total—
Serves1
DifficultyEasy
Ingredients
for 1 serves
Instructions
Roast morrones directly over a gas flame, turning every 2–3 min until completely charred all over (10–15 min). Put in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, steam 10 min, then peel, deseed and roughly chop.
HOT VERSION ONLY: Soak dried chillies in just-boiled water for 15 min until soft. Drain, remove stems, and deseed if you want less heat.
Toast cumin, coriander, and caraway in a dry pan over medium heat for 60–90 seconds, stirring constantly, until fragrant. Grind in a mortar or spice grinder.
MILD: Blend morrones, garlic, spices, tomato paste, olive oil, salt, lemon juice, and smoked paprika until a thick paste. HOT: Same but add the rehydrated chillies and cayenne instead of paprika.
Taste and adjust salt, lemon, and heat. Spoon into a jar, smooth the top, and pour over a thin layer of olive oil to seal. Refrigerate up to 2 weeks.
Tips & Notes
If you can't find dried whole chillies for the hot version, 1–2 tsp of ají molido (the regular supermarket ground chilli) or cayenne works well — start with 1 tsp and taste.
Caraway (alcaravea) is what gives harissa that unmistakable North African flavour. It's worth hunting down in a dietética árabe, but the recipe still works without it.
The olive oil layer on top is not optional — it seals the paste from air and keeps it fresh. Top it up every time you scoop some out.
To freeze: spoon into an ice cube tray, freeze solid, then transfer cubes to a zip-lock bag. Lasts 3 months. One cube is the perfect amount for a batch of kofta.
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