Harissa is an ubiquitous spice mix/sauce used by Berbers and Arabs alike throughout the Maghreb. It can be used as a condiment and a grilling sauce, and it's often an ingredient in other dishes. There are many variations to this recipe, but this is a fairly typical one. If you don't have caraway seeds around, many recipes omit it. The recipe below produces a very spicy sauce, for a less spicy one use milder or fewer chilies.

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Harissa Sauce

Ingredients

• 12 dried hot red chili peppers
• 1 large garlic clove (or 2-3 small ones)
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. caraway seeds
• 1 tsp. coriander seeds
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/3 cup olive oil

Instructions

Remove the seeds from the chili peppers. Soak the peppers in water for ½ hour. Put all the ingredients in a blender or mini chopper and blend until smooth.