Mild Harissa Powder
This Mild Harissa Powder offers a quick and easy way to add complex North African flavors to your dishes without adding an enormous amount of heat. This blend is all about authentic flavors and convenience as it is made with ground spices that you’ll likely have in your pantry already. Use the balanced blend to make a marinade, use it as a dry rub for grilled meats, or add instant flavor to sauces, dips, soups, and stews.
I always joke that I have a plain German salt and pepper palate that just hasn’t been exposed to hot food for many years. Now living in New Zealand where I’m fortunate to easily explore authentic cuisines from all around the world thanks to a large number of immigrants, the heat barometer has shifted a little but it’s certainly happier at the mild to medium scale, hence I created this mild harissa powder mix that you can easily spice up to suit your taste.
Just like my chermoula spice mix and Lebanese za’atar, this harissa seasoning allows you to explore new flavors in a convenient well balanced blend. Simply add 1 tsp to your dishes to start with and season to taste after that. Easily adjust the heat to suit your taste by increasing or reducing the amount of chili flakes and cayenne pepper.
This harissa powder can add instant smoky and spicy flavors to a variety of lamb dishes such as my homemade lamb sausages, and harissa meatballs. You’ll find more ideas on how to use harissa spice mix after the recipe.
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Mild Harissa Powder
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp ground smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ground caraway
- 1/4 tsp red chili flakes increase up 1 tsp for extra hot
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper increase up 1 tsp for extra hot
- 1 tsp ground garlic
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a small bowl.2 tbsp ground smoked paprika, 1 tbsp ground coriander, 1 tbsp ground cumin, 1 tbsp ground caraway, 1/4 tsp red chili flakes, 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp ground garlic, 1 tsp salt
- Stir to combine the spices thoroughly. Use 1/4 tsp chili flakes and cayenne pepper if you're after a milder spice blend.
- Transfer the blend to a spice jar and label it including the date you mixed it.
- Use the harissa powder mix as a marinade, dry rub, or to season soups, stews, and sauces. Start with 1 tsp of the blend and increase to taste.
Notes
Nutrition
Ingredients and substitutions
- Spices – I use ground cumin, coriander, and caraway seeds for convenience but you can also choose whole spices. Toast and grind them in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle. Smoked paprika adds a sweet and smoky note to the powder.
- Chili – Red chili flakes and cayenne pepper add the heat to the blend. I made a medium spiced mix but you can easily adjust it up or down to suit your taste. You can substitute it with other dried ground chiles including Tunisian Baklouti peppers traditionally used for harissa.
- Garlic – Garlic powder works best, you can use granules and grind them down if needed.
- Salt – Sea salt rounds out the flavors and creates an all-in-one harissa spice mix for instant flavoring.
How to use the harissa powder
Harissa paste: Blend 1 tbsp of harissa powder, 1 deseeded roasted red pepper, 2 tbsp of olive oil, 1 tbsp of lemon juice and zest, and 1 freshly minced garlic to make a harissa paste like blend.
Marinade: Use it as an easy marinade, especially for grilled harissa chicken and lamb. Yogurt-based marinades with harissa are also excellent for tenderizing and flavoring meats.
Dry rub: Use it as a flavorful rub for meats like chicken, lamb, or beef before grilling, roasting, or pan-frying. It also works well with seafood as well such as harissa shrimp.
Sauces and stews: Stir harissa into tomato-based sauces for pasta, pizza sauces, tagines, or slow-cooked stews such as my classic lamb stew for an extra kick.
Dips and spreads: Make harissa yogurt, mayonnaise, or harissa spiced hummus for a hot dip or spread – perfect for wraps, sandwiches, and burgers. Blend it with olive oil for a flavor-packed dipping oil.
Vegetables: Add the spice mix to roasted or grilled vegetables like carrots, potatoes, or cauliflower before cooking. Think harissa fries or popcorn, yum!
Eggs: Harissa loves eggs! I add it to my Turkish eggs with harissa and lamb shakshuka for some instant seasoning. Or instantly spice up your scrambled eggs.
