Harissa

You dry LOTS of red peppers. Once dry, add garlic, tabil (corriander), and mix it all together to crush it up into a paste.

That's why you see a lot of places with tons of red peppers laid out to dry.

The tinned harissa that you buy here comes from Tunisia anyway, it's the same stuff that his mama uses for cooking...... just a lot lot more expensive.

Hi debbie whereabouts can you buy it from i haven't seen any that comes from Tunisia

Yeah, we buy the Tunisian one, not the French one, but I fancied making my own... Only problem is, I told him I already knew how to make it, and don't want to make him think I need his help for EVERYTHING. Lol. One thing I pride myself on, is my ability in the kitchen, so it's a matter of pride, too. Lol.

Also has a different flavor from harissa arbe - it's not smokey flavored as is harissa arbe

Really! There are lots of arab shops in Liverpool, and they all sell Harissa from Tunisia, I thought it must be the only country that tins it? Do you have any local arab shops; spices, pasta etc cost a fraction of supermarket prices there and you can buy most things Tunisian. I could post you some if you're desperate?

omg we live in a sleepy hollow place no arab shops lol

No sleepy hollows here, I often dream of living in a place like that though, oh peace and quiet. There are lots of arab & polish shops and chinese supermarkets in Liverpool.

Where I used to live there were no Arab shops, but this Pakistani shop sold the tiny tins of Harissa (the really little, overly expensive ones!!).
I wouldn't have thought to ask, only I noticed it out the corner of my eye and bought a tin.

Just so everyone can see the difference - Here is the picture of harissa in a tin:

And Harissa Arbe (homemade) and that is olive oil in there:

I prefer it homemade, as does my boyfriend, but the tin is deffinately an OK sub.

i like the tinned one, i prefer the colour and consistency but im sure they both taste good.
i think you can also put cumin in when you make it? i was reading about it last night as i have a whole tin to use that i've opened and need some recipes with it before it goes off!

I could give you TONS of recipes! Plus Sana put a bunch up on here as well.

Yeah, the colour and consistency of a tin is much nicer. Lol. The colour is especially more appetizing.

I love the smell of a homemade one, though.

The canned ones add a bit of tomato paste to it to get that color and consistency

My boyfriend mixes Harissa with sardines and olive oil, and either uses it as a sandwich filling, or to dip bread into as like a dinner-side... The whole thing kind of grosses me out (HATE sardines!!), but he thoroughly enjoys it for whatever reason...

Hubby hardly cooks any Tunisian food at home now. He's worked in an Italian restaurant for the past year and he always cooks Italian now. Even if I am having cous cous, he will have something else....... never thought I'd see the day.

Hrissa arbi isn't TOTALLY made into a paste, you can still see grains and stuff.

The tinned one is a paste.

You want to make which harissa? because depending on the region, you have different ones

I love this one, its soo yummy.

I hate the tinned one.