[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":377},["ShallowReactive",2],{"recipe:tunisian-harissa":3,"recipe:country:tunisia":168},{"slug":4,"title":5,"nativeName":6,"pronunciation":7,"countrySlug":8,"region":9,"emoji":10,"summary":11,"intro":12,"story":13,"whyThis":14,"tips":19,"substitutions":26,"variations":39,"serveWith":49,"storage":51,"faq":52,"equipment":68,"baseServings":73,"prepMinutes":74,"cookMinutes":75,"restMinutes":76,"difficulty":77,"course":78,"diet":80,"mainIngredients":86,"ingredients":91,"instructions":128,"nutrition":152,"images":156,"keywords":160,"publishedAt":166,"updatedAt":166,"authorSlug":167},"tunisian-harissa","Tunisian Harissa (Sun-Dried Chilli Paste)","هريسة","hah-REE-sah","tunisia","Cap Bon","🌶️","Dried red chillies soaked soft and pounded with garlic, caraway and coriander seed, then sealed under olive oil. Twenty minutes of work for a jar that seasons everything for weeks.","Harissa is the condiment Tunisian cooking is built on: dried red chillies, rehydrated and crushed with garlic, salt, caraway and coriander seed into a thick red paste, then stored under a film of olive oil. It is hot, but heat is not the point — the caraway is. That single spice is what separates real Tunisian harissa from generic chilli sauce, giving it a warm, faintly aniseed edge that turns up in every stew, sandwich and salad it touches. Homemade harissa is fresher and far less sour than the tinned kind, and it takes one afternoon soak and ten minutes with a mortar or a food processor.","Chillies are not native to North Africa. They arrived through Atlantic and Ottoman trade routes after the Columbian exchange, and Tunisia took to them more thoroughly than any of its neighbours, planting them across the Cap Bon peninsula and turning the sun itself into a preserving tool: split the pods, lay them out on rooftops and drying grounds, and by the end of summer you have a year's worth of concentrated red. Pounding them with garlic and spice into a paste that keeps under oil solved the other half of the problem — how a household eats chilli in February.\n\nWhat makes the Tunisian version distinct is the spicing. Coriander seed and caraway are ground in with the chillies, and the caraway in particular gives harissa its recognisable warm, slightly medicinal perfume; a paste without it may be excellent, but Tunisians will tell you it is not harissa. The traditional chilli is the baklouti, a moderately hot local variety with more sweetness than bite, which is why a properly made harissa tastes red and fruity first and burns second. UNESCO added harissa to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2022, recognising not just the paste but the whole social practice around it — the family drying sessions, the shared grinding, the passing of a jar between households.\n\nIn daily use it works three ways. Fried into hot oil at the start of a dish, it loses rawness and stains the whole pot red — that is how ojja, chorba and couscous broth begin. Stirred in raw at the end, it stays sharp and fruity. Thinned with olive oil and a squeeze of lemon in a small dish, it becomes the table sauce that lets each person season their own bowl, which is why a Tunisian meal rarely arrives at a single fixed heat level.",[15,16,17,18],"Built from whole dried chillies rather than powder, so the paste has body and fruit instead of dusty heat.","Caraway and coriander seed are toasted whole and ground fresh — the difference between Tunisian harissa and generic chilli sauce.","Gives a heat-control method: mix mild and hot chillies to hit a level you will actually use by the spoonful.","Keeps for weeks under oil and improves after a few days, so one session seasons a month of cooking.",[20,21,22,23,24,25],"Blend chilli varieties. Mostly mild, large dried chillies with two or three hot ones gives a paste you can use generously; all-hot chillies produce something you will only ever dab.","Wipe the soaked chillies dry before grinding. Water left clinging thins the paste and shortens how long it keeps.","Deseed for a smoother, redder result. Leaving seeds in is not traditional and makes the texture gritty as well as hotter.","Toast the caraway and coriander only until they smell nutty and just begin to crackle — pushed further they turn bitter and the bitterness never leaves.","Always top the jar with enough oil to cover the surface completely after each use, and take the paste out with a clean dry spoon. Exposed paste moulds; submerged paste does not.","Wear gloves or wash your hands twice with soap and oil afterwards. Chilli oil clings to skin far longer than water alone removes.",[27,31,35],{"original":28,"swap":29,"note":30},"Baklouti chillies","A mix of dried guajillo or New Mexico chillies with two or three dried árbol or cayenne pods","Guajillo gives the fruity red body baklouti provides; the small hot pods supply the bite. This is the closest widely available approximation.",{"original":32,"swap":33,"note":34},"Whole dried chillies","60 g coarse chilli flakes soaked in hot water for 20 minutes","Faster and workable, but the paste is coarser and tastes flatter — flakes have already lost much of their aroma.",{"original":36,"swap":37,"note":38},"Caraway seed","Half caraway, half fennel seed","Fennel alone is too sweet and too soft. If you have no caraway at all, the paste is still a good chilli sauce but no longer specifically Tunisian.",[40,43,46],{"name":41,"description":42},"Harissa with rose","A small pinch of dried rose petals ground in with the spices. More common in Moroccan and export blends than in Tunisian kitchens, but pleasant with lamb.",{"name":44,"description":45},"Harissa arbi","The rustic country style: coarser grind, more garlic, less oil, made in a stone mortar so the texture stays rough and the garlic stays loud.",{"name":47,"description":48},"Table harissa","Two tablespoons of the finished paste slackened with olive oil, lemon juice and a little water into a dipping sauce for bread — the saucer that sits on every Tunisian table.",[50],"Bread and olive oil as a table dip, stirred into tomato-based stews, spread inside sandwiches, or whisked into a vinaigrette for grilled vegetables.","Pack the paste into a small sterilised jar, press out air pockets with a spoon, and cover the surface with a 5 mm layer of olive oil. Refrigerated and re-covered with oil after each use, it keeps 4 to 6 weeks. Freeze what you will not use quickly in ice cube trays, then bag the cubes — one cube is roughly a tablespoon and thaws in minutes. Flavour peaks after three or four days as the garlic and caraway settle into the chilli.",[53,56,59,62,65],{"question":54,"answer":55},"How hot is homemade harissa supposed to be?","Warm rather than punishing. Traditional Tunisian harissa is made mostly from moderately hot baklouti chillies, so it is used by the tablespoon in stews rather than the drop. You control the level entirely by the ratio of mild large chillies to small hot ones, and removing every seed and membrane lowers the heat noticeably.",{"question":57,"answer":58},"Why does my harissa taste bitter?","Almost always over-toasted spices or scorched chillies. Caraway and coriander seed go from nutty to acrid in about thirty seconds, and dried chillies burn quickly if toasted dry over high heat. Soak the chillies rather than roasting them, and pull the spices off the heat the moment they smell fragrant.",{"question":60,"answer":61},"Can I make harissa in a food processor instead of a mortar?","Yes, and most Tunisian households now do. A processor gives a smoother, more uniform paste; a stone mortar gives a coarser texture and, many cooks argue, a better one because crushing releases oils that blades cut through. Either way, scrape down the sides several times so no large chilli pieces survive.",{"question":63,"answer":64},"What is the difference between Tunisian and Moroccan harissa?","Tunisian harissa is spiced with caraway and coriander seed and is generally hotter and more garlicky. Moroccan versions lean on cumin and sometimes rose or dried mint, and are often milder. Rose harissa in particular is far more common in export products and British recipe writing than in Tunisia itself.",{"question":66,"answer":67},"How do I use harissa without making everything too spicy?","Fry it in oil for a minute before adding other ingredients. Cooking mellows the raw burn and spreads the colour and spice through the dish, so a tablespoon fried into the base is gentler than a teaspoon stirred in at the end. Serve extra thinned with olive oil on the side for anyone who wants more.",[69,70,71,72],"Large stone mortar and pestle or a small food processor","Small dry frying pan","Sterilised glass jar with a tight lid","Disposable gloves",16,20,5,30,"easy",[79],"sauce",[81,82,83,84,85],"vegan","vegetarian","gluten-free","dairy-free","nut-free",[87,88,89,90],"garlic","caraway","coriander-seed","olive-oil",[92,97,102,106,110,114,117,119,123],{"qty":93,"unit":94,"name":95,"note":96},90,"g","large mild dried red chillies (baklouti, or guajillo\u002FNew Mexico)","roughly 12–15 pods, stems and seeds removed",{"qty":98,"unit":99,"name":100,"note":101},3,"piece","small hot dried chillies (árbol or cayenne)","more or fewer depending on the heat you want",{"ref":87,"qty":103,"unit":104,"name":105},6,"clove","garlic, peeled",{"ref":88,"qty":107,"unit":108,"name":109},1,"tbsp","caraway seeds",{"ref":89,"qty":111,"unit":112,"name":113},2,"tsp","coriander seeds",{"ref":115,"qty":107,"unit":112,"name":116},"cumin","cumin seeds",{"qty":111,"unit":112,"name":118},"fine sea salt",{"ref":90,"qty":120,"unit":121,"name":122},120,"ml","olive oil, plus more for sealing the jar",{"ref":124,"qty":107,"unit":108,"name":125,"optional":126,"note":127},"vinegar","red wine vinegar",true,"brightens the paste and helps it keep",[129,134,138,142,145,148],{"title":130,"text":131,"timerSeconds":132,"tip":133},"Prepare and soak the chillies","Snap the stems off all the chillies, split them open and shake and scrape out every seed. Cover with just-boiled water, weigh them down with a small plate so none float, and leave 30 minutes until the skins are pliable and a pod bends double without cracking.",1800,"Save a little of the soaking water — a tablespoon can loosen a paste that turns out too stiff.",{"title":135,"text":136,"tip":137},"Toast the spices","Put the caraway, coriander and cumin seeds in a dry pan over medium heat and shake constantly for 60–90 seconds, until they darken a shade and smell nutty and warm rather than dusty. Tip them straight onto a cold plate so they stop cooking, then grind to a fine powder.","Grind the spices before the chillies — the dry seeds clean the mortar and the residual powder gets absorbed into the paste.",{"title":139,"text":140,"tip":141},"Drain and dry the chillies","Lift the chillies out and squeeze each one firmly in your fist over the sink, then blot them between sheets of kitchen paper until no more moisture comes off. They should feel damp and rubbery, not wet.","Wear gloves from this point on. Even mild dried chillies leave oils that sting hours later.",{"title":143,"text":144},"Pound to a paste","Crush the garlic with the salt first until it turns into a smooth wet cream, then add the chillies a few at a time and work them in, scraping down and pounding until no flat pieces of skin remain and the mass is a uniform brick red. In a processor, pulse the garlic and salt first, then run continuously for 2–3 minutes, stopping to scrape the sides.",{"title":146,"text":147},"Add the spices and oil","Work in the ground caraway, coriander and cumin, then trickle in the olive oil while mixing until the paste turns glossy and holds a soft peak on the spoon. Stir in the vinegar if using and taste for salt — it should taste concentrated and slightly too salty on its own, since it will always be diluted into something else.",{"title":149,"text":150,"tip":151},"Jar and seal","Spoon into a clean jar, tapping it on the counter and pressing with the back of a spoon to drive out air pockets, then flood the surface with olive oil until the red disappears under a clear film. Seal and refrigerate at least overnight before using.","Air pockets are where mould starts. If you can see a bubble against the glass, poke it out with a skewer and top up the oil.",{"calories":153,"protein":107,"carbs":98,"fat":154,"fiber":107,"sodium":155,"estimated":126},80,8,290,[157],{"src":158,"alt":159},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Ftunisian-harissa\u002Fhero.svg","Deep red harissa paste in a small jar under a layer of olive oil, with dried chillies and caraway seeds beside it",[161,162,88,163,164,165],"harissa","tunisian chilli paste","dried chillies","north african condiment","maghreb","2026-08-20","dishroute-kitchen",{"items":169,"total":176,"page":107,"limit":270,"hasMore":376},[170,200,223,245,265,289,308,326,347,369],{"slug":171,"title":172,"nativeName":173,"countrySlug":8,"region":174,"baseServings":175,"prepMinutes":74,"cookMinutes":176,"difficulty":177,"course":178,"diet":181,"mainIngredients":183,"images":189,"keywords":193,"publishedAt":166,"updatedAt":166,"authorSlug":167},"tunisian-brik","Brik à l'Oeuf (Tunisian Crisp Pastry with a Runny Egg)","بريك بالبيض","Tunis",4,10,"medium",[179,180],"appetizer","street-food",[182,84],"pescatarian",[184,185,186,187,188],"tuna","eggs","capers","parsley","onion",[190],{"src":191,"alt":192},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Ftunisian-brik\u002Fhero.svg","Golden half-moon brik pastry torn open with a runny egg yolk spilling over the tuna and parsley filling",[194,195,196,197,198,199],"brik","brik a l'oeuf","malsouka","tunisian pastry","tuna and egg","fried appetiser",{"slug":201,"title":202,"nativeName":203,"countrySlug":8,"region":204,"baseServings":103,"prepMinutes":205,"cookMinutes":153,"difficulty":177,"course":206,"diet":208,"mainIngredients":209,"images":214,"keywords":218,"publishedAt":166,"updatedAt":166,"authorSlug":167},"tunisian-couscous","Couscous bil Hout (Tunisian Fish Couscous)","كسكسي بالحوت","Sfax and the Sahel",35,[207],"main",[182,84],[210,211,212,213,161],"white-fish","couscous","chickpeas","quince",[215],{"src":216,"alt":217},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Ftunisian-couscous\u002Fhero.svg","Platter of red-tinted couscous topped with fish steaks, chickpeas, carrots, quince wedges and green peppers",[211,219,220,221,222,165],"fish couscous","tunisian couscous","harissa broth","couscoussier",{"slug":224,"title":225,"nativeName":226,"countrySlug":8,"region":174,"baseServings":103,"prepMinutes":205,"cookMinutes":74,"restMinutes":227,"difficulty":177,"course":228,"diet":230,"mainIngredients":231,"images":235,"keywords":239,"publishedAt":166,"updatedAt":166,"authorSlug":167},"fricassee-tunisien","Fricassé (Tunisian Fried Roll with Tuna and Potato)","فريكاسي",100,[180,229],"snack",[182,84],[232,184,233,185,234,161],"flour","potato","olives",[236],{"src":237,"alt":238},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Ffricassee-tunisien\u002Fhero.svg","Split fried Tunisian fricassé roll packed with tuna, crushed potato, egg slices, black olives and red harissa",[240,241,242,243,244,161],"fricasse","tunisian sandwich","fried roll","tuna sandwich","street food",{"slug":246,"title":247,"nativeName":248,"countrySlug":8,"region":174,"baseServings":175,"prepMinutes":249,"cookMinutes":250,"restMinutes":251,"difficulty":77,"course":252,"diet":255,"mainIngredients":256,"images":257,"keywords":261,"publishedAt":166,"updatedAt":166,"authorSlug":167},"lablabi","Lablabi (Tunisian Chickpea and Bread Soup)","لبلابي",15,85,480,[253,254],"soup","breakfast",[182,84],[212,87,115,185,90,184],[258],{"src":259,"alt":260},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Flablabi\u002Fhero.svg","Deep bowl of chickpea broth over torn bread topped with a poached egg, harissa, capers, olives and olive oil",[246,262,263,264,161,115],"chickpea soup","tunisian breakfast","stale bread soup",{"slug":266,"title":267,"nativeName":268,"countrySlug":8,"region":269,"baseServings":270,"prepMinutes":271,"cookMinutes":272,"restMinutes":76,"difficulty":177,"course":273,"diet":275,"mainIngredients":276,"images":280,"keywords":284,"publishedAt":166,"updatedAt":166,"authorSlug":167},"tunisian-makroudh","Makroudh (Kairouan Date-Filled Semolina Diamonds)","مقروض","Kairouan",24,40,25,[274,229],"dessert",[82,84,85],[277,278,279,90],"semolina","dates","honey",[281],{"src":282,"alt":283},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Ftunisian-makroudh\u002Fhero.svg","Stacked honey-glazed semolina diamonds cut open to show the dark spiced date filling inside",[285,286,277,287,279,288],"makroudh","date pastry","kairouan","tunisian sweets",{"slug":290,"title":291,"nativeName":292,"countrySlug":8,"region":174,"baseServings":175,"prepMinutes":249,"cookMinutes":272,"difficulty":77,"course":293,"diet":294,"mainIngredients":295,"images":299,"keywords":303,"publishedAt":166,"updatedAt":166,"authorSlug":167},"ojja","Ojja Merguez (Tunisian Eggs in Spicy Pepper Sauce)","عجة مرقاز",[207,254],[84],[296,185,297,161,298],"merguez","tomato","bell-pepper",[300],{"src":301,"alt":302},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fojja\u002Fhero.svg","Skillet of red tomato and pepper sauce with merguez slices and softly set eggs stirred through, parsley on top",[290,296,304,305,306,307],"tunisian eggs","harissa tomato sauce","one pan dinner","chakchouka",{"slug":309,"title":310,"nativeName":311,"countrySlug":8,"region":9,"baseServings":103,"prepMinutes":272,"cookMinutes":272,"restMinutes":249,"difficulty":77,"course":312,"diet":314,"mainIngredients":315,"images":316,"keywords":320,"publishedAt":166,"updatedAt":166,"authorSlug":167},"salade-mechouia","Slata Mechouia (Tunisian Grilled Pepper and Tomato Salad)","سلاطة مشوية",[313,179],"side",[182,83,84,85],[298,297,87,90,184],[317],{"src":318,"alt":319},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fsalade-mechouia\u002Fhero.svg","Flat plate of chopped charred green pepper and tomato salad topped with flaked tuna, egg quarters and black olives",[321,322,323,324,88,325],"slata mechouia","grilled pepper salad","tunisian salad","kemia","smoky",{"slug":327,"title":328,"nativeName":329,"countrySlug":8,"region":174,"baseServings":103,"prepMinutes":74,"cookMinutes":330,"restMinutes":176,"difficulty":177,"course":331,"diet":332,"mainIngredients":333,"images":336,"keywords":340,"publishedAt":166,"updatedAt":166,"authorSlug":167},"tunisian-tajine","Tajine Malsouka (Tunisian Baked Egg and Cheese Casserole)","طاجين ملسوقة",60,[207,179],[85],[185,334,335,187,188],"chicken","gruyere",[337],{"src":338,"alt":339},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Ftunisian-tajine\u002Fhero.svg","Golden baked Tunisian tajine cut into squares showing shredded chicken, parsley and melted cheese in set egg",[341,342,343,344,345,346],"tunisian tajine","tajine malsouka","baked eggs","chicken casserole","frittata","make ahead",{"slug":348,"title":349,"nativeName":350,"countrySlug":8,"region":351,"baseServings":103,"prepMinutes":74,"cookMinutes":352,"difficulty":177,"course":353,"diet":354,"mainIngredients":355,"images":358,"keywords":362,"publishedAt":166,"updatedAt":166,"authorSlug":167},"tunisian-chorba-frik","Tunisian Chorba Frik (Freekeh and Lamb Soup)","شربة فريك","Tunis and the interior",95,[253],[84],[356,297,161,357,187],"lamb","mint",[359],{"src":360,"alt":361},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Ftunisian-chorba-frik\u002Fhero.svg","Bowl of thick red freekeh soup with pieces of lamb, chopped parsley and a lemon wedge on the rim",[363,364,365,366,367,368],"chorba frik","freekeh soup","lamb soup","ramadan","tunisian soup","iftar",{"slug":4,"title":5,"nativeName":6,"countrySlug":8,"region":9,"baseServings":73,"prepMinutes":74,"cookMinutes":75,"restMinutes":76,"difficulty":77,"course":370,"diet":371,"mainIngredients":372,"images":373,"keywords":375,"publishedAt":166,"updatedAt":166,"authorSlug":167},[79],[81,82,83,84,85],[87,88,89,90],[374],{"src":158,"alt":159},[161,162,88,163,164,165],false,1787360056857]