Rose Harissa Paste

Rose Harissa Paste is a North African chili paste, originating from Tunisian cuisine. It is an easy recipe that will add a spicy kick to your meals. This no-cook Rose Harissa Paste recipe is so easy to follow - within minutes, you can make this homemade fiery paste! Rose harissa is naturally vegan and gluten-free.

Many recipes call for harissa paste and whilst it is fairly easy to buy it from the supermarket, it often lacks flavour and is also incredibly pricy for a small jar! The benefit of making your own harissa paste is maximum flavour and budget friendly!

I love making my own Harissa paste. Not only is it rewarding, but it means I know exactly what I am putting in.

Harissa is a spicy chilli paste originating from Tunisia and is used in North African and Middle Eastern cuisine. It is made from red chilli peppers, garlic, cumin, caraway and olive oil.

Harissa has a slow-burning heat, that is balanced with sweet smokiness that adds real depth of flavour to any dish.

It is traditionally used to add a savoury spicy kick to many recipes such as stews, soups and couscous.

Harissa paste and rose harrisa paste are essentially the same except rose harrisa contains either rose petals or rose water to flavour it. The addition of dried rose petals gives a wonderful floral aroma.

Ingredients

This recipe gives you rose harissa with a chilli kick but you can tone it down by using less spicy ingredients. Remember that the paste may seem spicy but it will dilute once added to your recipe!

Chili peppers - use either fresh red chillies or dried red chillies that have been soaked in warm water for around 1 hour. Alternatively use red peppers for less heat but the same vibrant colour. Bell peppers or capsicum provide a peppery flavour

Garlic cloves - use fresh garlic cloves

Ground cumin and coriander powder - pre-ground spices are easily available in most supermarkets. You can ofcourse buy the whole spices, toast them and then crush.

Caraway seeds - aka meridian fennel or persian cumin, these seeds have a liquorice type flavour. Note that they are different to cumin seeds.

Dried Rose petals - easily available in supermarkets, they add gorgeous colour and flavour

Rose water - for extra rose flavor, I like to add rose water as well as rose petals. Rose water is usually available in the world food aisle section of most supermarkets

Extra virgin olive oil you can optionally use sunflower oil

Salt

Optional

You can add tomato paste or roasted red pepper.

A dash of lime juice alternatively use lemon juice.

How to make homemade harissa paste with rose petals

You will need a good food processor for this. Use a jug blender if you are making a large batch or a spice grinder/mini chopper if making a small amount. Make sure your spice grinder can take wet ingredients!

This recipe is no cook so all that is required is blending!

If you use dried chillies, you will have to soak them in hot water for an hour or so. This step is important as dried chillies will not grind down to a paste if not pre-soaked.

Add all of the ingredients to your food processor and blend. Scrape down the sides as you go.

Coarsey grinding will lead to a chunky paste but you can smooth it out to a smooth paste by adding a little extra olive oil as you go.

Go easy on the rose water and add it slowly. Too much rose water can give an artificial smell and taste which we definitely do not want!

Storage

Harissa paste is best stored in a glass jar and kept in the fridge. I like to add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to the top before closing the lid. The oil helps with preservation. Keep topping up with olive oil as you go.

You can store rose harissa paste in the fridge for up to 1 month.

Any leftover oil once the paste has finished will now be infused with incredible flavours! You can use this oil in your cooking.

You can also freeze rose harissa by spooning it into ice cube trays. Once frozen, pop them into a freezer friendly bag and use a cube whenever you need it. Thaw at room temperature or use the defrost function in your microwave.

How to use Rose Harissa Paste

A little goes a long way with harissa paste. In fact, uou will only need a spoonful of harissa for most recipes. I love to use it in soups such as this Tomato, Harissa and Orzo Soup

I also like to add it to pasta sauce for sweet smokiness that is hard to beat!

Here are some quick ideas that you may like to try:

• Add to mayo or yogurt for an easy dip (I made a dip using this paste for Air Fryer Potato Slices)
• Top hummus with a spoonful of harissa and swirl through
• Add to tomato sauce
• Stir into cooked couscous
• Add to stuffed peppers

Other Dip/Sauces Recipes

Raw Mango and Chilli Chutney

Schezwan Sauce

Sundried Tomato Pasta Sauce

Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce

Easy Bread Sauce

Chilli Sultana Sauce

Chestnut Hummus

As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!

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Note - This recipe has been updated from our recipe archives with new images and content, but the recipe remains the same. First time published in February 25th, 2012.