Name: Pilpelchuma
Yield: Makes 1 small jar approximately 250 ml
Cuisine: Libyan
Ingredients: ¾ tsp salt; 20 garlic cloves, peeled (75 g in total); 75 ml sunflower oil, plus a little extra; 1 large ancho or pasilla chilli, or another dried chilli with a little heat (12 g in total); 25 g ground cayenne pepper; 25 g ground sweet paprika; ½ tbsp caraway seeds, ground; ¾ tbsp ground cumin

Preparation info

Makes
1 jar
approximately

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Jerusalem

By Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi

Published 2012

About

This is an intense chilli and garlic paste that is used by Jews from Tripoli as a basic seasoning for many of their dishes, a bit like the Tunisian harissa. It is concentrated and deep in flavour so use it carefully. It can be smeared over root vegetables before roasting, or mixed with oil and herbs to marinate meats for the barbecue. It is also wonderful whisked into the eggs when making scrambled eggs.