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close up of rose harissa on burlap in brown bowl

Rose Harissa

Beth Lee
Rose harissa, a brick red spice paste mellowed by a touch of rose, will become your favorite kitchen condiment. And if you have Ottolenghi's SIMPLE cookbook, now you can find one of his must-have ingredients - rose harissa.
4.84 from 18 votes
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Course Condiment
Cuisine Middle Eastern
Servings 8
Calories 32 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 4 Dried chili de arbol rehydrated
  • 4 teaspoons olive oil divided use
  • 2 serrano chilies chopped and seeded (preferable to use Fresno Chilies if you can find them)
  • 1 ½ teaspoons coriander seeds
  • ¾ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • ½ teaspoon caraway seeds
  • 1 teaspoon rose petals
  • 1 teaspoon rose water
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 2 tablespoons shallot rough chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic rough chopped
  • 2 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • Pinch of sugar
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions
 

  • Fry coriander, cumin, caraway in 1 teaspoon olive oil over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Remove spices and reserve oil.
    Whole spices for rose harissa in pan on stove.
  • Grind spices with rose petals with a mortar and pestle or in a spice grinder. Add smoked paprika.
    Dried spices plus rose petals in mortar and pestle.
  • Heat reserved olive oil and 1 tablespoon olive oil in the same skillet until very hot. Add shallot, garlic and Serrano or Fresno chilis and hydrated chili de arbol. Saute until golden.
  • Place sauteed mixture, remaining olive oil, spices, tomato paste, lemon juice, rose water, pinch of sugar and salt in a blender or food processor. Process until smooth. Add additional salt and rose water, if needed.
    Rose harissa ingredients in mini food processor.
  • Store in the refrigerator in a glass jar with a layer of olive oil poured over the top, if desired.
    Rose harissa in a brown bowl on burlap.

Video

Notes

  • As mentioned above, prepare all of your ingredients before proceeding with the recipe. It will make this harissa come together so easily.
  • As with almost any spice blend or spice paste, feel free to try different levels of heat, more of one ingredient, less of another. Some variations are already included, like alternative peppers, but feel free to play with other elements as well. My rule of thumb - follow the recipe the first time, then play as much as you want!
  • A coffee grinder that you've dedicated to be a spice grinder is a great tool. But as you can see in the pictures, I used a basic mortar and pestle with great success.

Nutrition

Serving: 2tablespoonCalories: 32kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 1gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 179mgPotassium: 84mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 410IUVitamin C: 7.3mgCalcium: 9mgIron: 0.5mg
Keyword condiment, North African cuisine, spice sauce
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