When I visited Morocco I was entranced by the incredible smells and the beautiful colours of the spices. Their food is fragrant, punchy and vibrant. From tagines to cous cous and delicate pastries, you won’t experience any dull food here.
One element of Moroccan food that I have taken away with me is one of their spice pastes, harissa. My favourite version of this is with Rose. The floral notes go extremely well with the roasted pepper and the spicy chilli.
What Exactly is Rose Harissa?
Harrisa is a hot paste or sauce that consists of hot chilli, burnt red peppers, oil, and seasoning. And as you can possibly guess, rose harissa is a variation of this, with the inclusion of rose petals bashed into the mix.
If you like spicy and warming foods, then rose harissa is definitely for you! If you don’t like floral flavours, then just omit the rose (but I’d definitely recommend at least trying it with rose!)
How do you make rose harissa paste?
I love making this vegan rose harissa paste recipe from scratch. I first learnt it whilst at Demuth’s vegan cookery school.
If you don’t want to make it, Belazu makes a really good Rose Harissa that will keep in the fridge for yonks!
What Can You Substitute Rose Harissa With?
Don’t have the rose harissa ingredients to hand? Or can’t get hold of the store-bought rose harissa? Try using another type of chilli paste, or if you are feeling adventurous, try sriracha sauce or something similar! Just don’t expect it to taste authentically ‘Moroccan’.
How Do You Eat Rose Harissa?
Harissa can be eaten in many ways. You can serve it up with your favourite bread and olives, or alongside a bowl of couscous. I particularly love using it as a base for sauces and stews, which brings us on to our recipe today…
Using Rose Harissa Paste in a Stew
I really like to use Rose Harissa with root vegetables, as it balances the flavours well. This is why I have created this rose harissa stew with squash and carrot.
Chickpeas are another favourite ingredient of mine. They help to bulk up this meal and they are also full of those all-important vitamins and protein.
You can adapt the ingredients to suit you. For instance, a Rose Harissa Stew will also go great with cauliflower or aubergine – get creative!
Ingredients
- 1 Onion - sliced
- 4 cloves Garlic - finely chopped
- 1 thumbsized-piece Fresh ginger - finely chopped
- 400 g Squash - cut into large chunks
- 1 Carrot - cut into large chunks
- 4 Tomatoes - roughly chopped
- 240 g Chickpeas - cooked
- Juice of 1 lime
- 400 ml Vegetable stock
- 2 tbsp Rose harissa
- 1 tsp Smoked paprika
- Salt - to taste
- Black pepper - to taste
To serve
- Cous cous - cooked
- 1 handful Fresh coriander - chopped
- 1 Lime
Instructions
- Fry off the onion with a pinch of salt for around 5 minutes
- Add in the garlic and ginger, fry for 2 minutes
- Add in the chopped squash and carrot, fry for a few more minutes
- Stir in the harissa until the ingredients are all coated
- Add the tomatoes and the chickpeas in and fully incorporate
- Pour in the stock and add some general seasoning and paprika
- Cook for about 20 minutes, or until the squash and carrot are cooked
- Serve with some grains, like cous cous, fresh lime and chopped coriander
Leave a Reply