Each country has its own version of hot sauce. Morocco is no exception. I have tried the harissa in a can, which is much to be desired. Then there is the harissa in a tube. A tube? Really? Then I tried Mustapha brand of Harissa. This harissa is hard to beat. But I am not here to talk about buying harissa, but making your own. It is easy and inexpensive to make. All it takes is a food processor or blender and a few ingredients and you will have a hot sauce to your liking.
Ingredients:
6 ounces of dried chilies (equal amounts of Ancho, pasillas, new mexico, guajillo, and chipotle chilies) any combination you like. Ancho and pasillas are very mild.
1 red bell pepper, roasted
6 oz of sundried tomatoes
5 cloves of garlic, roasted
salt to taste
1 1/2 tsp caraway seeds, freshly grounded
1 1/2 coriander seeds, freshley grounded
1 tsp cumin
2 tbs olive oil, plus extra for storage
Boil some water. Place the chilies in a bowl and pour the boiling water over them. Let the chilies soak for about 30 minutes. Make sure that you wear gloves when handling peppers. Peel the garlic and add a little olive oil. Place in aluminum and put in the oven for about 10-15 minutes at 400 degrees F. They should be soft when you take them out of the oven. Roast the red bell pepper at the same time. This will take about 30 minutes in the oven. Place the pepper on a broiler pan and keep turning every 10 minutes so that the skin is scorched on all sides.
P.S. There are different variations of this recipe. You can add cilantro, lemon juice, onions or whatever ingredients that you like in your hot sauce. Harissa can also be used in place of tomato paste in your recipe.