What is harissa?

Harissa is a spicy, aromatic paste commonly made with chilli, garlic, ground cumin, coriander, salt and oil. It’s used in Middle Eastern and African cooking, and is perfect for marinades, soups or stews and rice dishes. 

It’s available in tubes or jars in gourmet food stores, delicatessens and supermarkets. Harissa seasoning is a dry mix of the same spices, and it can have a slightly milder flavour than the paste. Sprinkle it over chicken, lamb or vegetables before roasting or barbecuing.

Harissa recipes

Roasted beetroot with za’atar, chickpeas & harissa yoghurt

Ingredients:

• 8 raw baby beetroots, or 4 mediumm scrubbed
• 1 tbsp za'atar
• 1 tbsp sumac
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 400 g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp zest lemon
• 1 tsp juice lemon
• 200 g Greek yoghurt
• 1 tbsp harissa paste
• 1 tsp crushed red chilli flakes
• Mint leaves, roughly chopped, to serve

Method:

1. Heat oven to 220C/200C fan. Halve the beetroots. Or quarter them if you’re using medium ones or bigger. Mix all the spices together. On a very large baking tray or 2 smaller ones, mix the chickpeas and beetroot with the oil. Season well with sea salt and sprinkle the spices over. Mix again. Roast for 30 mins or until crisp at the edges.
2. While the vegetables are cooking, mix the lemon zest and juice and some salt with the yoghurt. Swirl the harissa through and thickly spread onto a platter or shallow bowl. Top with the beetroot and chickpeas, and sprinkle with the chilli flakes and mint.

Harissa falafels

Ingredients:

• 200 g canned chickpeas
• 200 g canned four bean mix
• 2 cups fresh herbs (parsley, mint and coriander)
• ¼ cup water
• ¼ cup rice flour plus extra for dusting
• 1 tablespoon harissa spice mix

Method:

1. Drain and rinse a 400g can 
of chickpeas and 4-bean mix and place into a food processor with 2 cups mixed herbs such as parsley, mint and coriander. Add ¼ cup each water and rice flour and 1 tablespoon harissa spice mix. Process 
for 1-2 min or until mixture forms a paste. Using slightly 
damp hands, take a heaped tablespoon of mixture, shape into a ball and flatten slightly. Dust in extra flour. Repeat with remaining mix.
2. Place balls on a baking tray, brush with olive oil. Bake at 200°C (180°C fan forced) for 20 min, turning and brushing with oil again after 10 min. Alternatively, shallow-fry until golden brown. Serve with Tabouli Salad, flat bread and beetroot dip.

Moroccan harissa chicken

Ingredients: 

• 6 x chicken Marylands (2 kg)
• 2 tbsp harissa paste
• 820 g can apricot halves in juice
• 180 g packet dry Moroccan chickpea hearty soup mix
• 2 red capsicums, deseeded, thickly sliced
• 2 medium zucchini, cut into 2 cm pieces
• Cooked pearl couscous, to serve (optional)
• Green olives, to serve (optional)
• Fresh coriander, to garnish (optional)

Method: 

1. Rub chicken all over with paste combined with 1 tblsp vegetable oil. Season with salt and pepper
2. Heat a large, non-stick frying pan over a high heat. Add chicken, skin-side down, in two batches. Cook for about 3 minutes on each side, or until browned. Transfer to a removable bowl of a 5 to 6-litre capacity slow cooker.
3. Drain apricots through a sieve over a medium bowl. Set apricots aside. Add soup mix to apricot juice with ½ cup water. Stir to combine. Add juice mixture with capsicums to slow cooker. Cover with lid.
4. Cook on low for 5 hours. Add apricots and zucchini. Cook for a further 1 hour, or until the chicken is tender and falling away from bones.
5. Serve with couscous and olives. Garnish with coriander sprigs.

Moroccan harissa chicken

Harissa falafels

Roasted beetroot with za’atar, chickpeas & harissa yoghurt