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Hrous
هروس: salt-fermented onions pounded with chilli, turmeric, caraway and dried rosebuds into a deep red, funky paste under olive oil
Hrous is the old pantry paste of Sfax and Djerba, made in late spring when the sweet onions come out of the ground and stored for months to season the year's fish couscous, stews, lablabi and simple saucers of olive oil for dipping bread. The onions are sliced, salted heavily and left for about a week to wilt and ferment, then squeezed dry and pounded with sweet and hot dried chilli, turmeric, caraway, coriander and crushed dried rosebuds, and packed into a jar under olive oil. A teaspoon goes a long way: it is brick red, salty, sour and fiery, with a funky onion sweetness and a perfumed finish from the roses, earthier and more complex than harissa. Sfaxi families stir it into fish dishes and spread it thinly on bread with olive oil at breakfast. The mistake to avoid is cutting the salt to make it milder, as the salt is what keeps the ferment safe; stick to 10% of the onion weight. The onions are ready when they are limp, smell pleasantly sour and pickled, and the paste turns glossy after a week under oil. Chef's tip: grind the rosebuds fresh, just before mixing, for the full perfume.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 24
Ingredients
For the onions
- 2 ¼ lb onionssweet white or red
- 3 ½ oz coarse salt10% of the onion weight; not iodised
For the paste
- 2 tbsp dried rosebudsculinary, unsprayed; sold in North African and Middle Eastern shops
- 2 tsp caraway seeds
- 2 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 4 tbsp sweet paprikaor mild Tunisian ground red pepper
- 2 tbsp hot ground chilliadjust to taste
- 2 tsp ground turmeric
- ¾ cup olive oil
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Method
0/10 doneStep 1: Wash a 1 litre and a 500 ml glass jar and their lids in hot soapy water, rinse, and dry in a 250°F oven for 10 minutes. Let them cool completely; they must be bone dry.
15 minStep 2: Peel the 2 ¼ lb onions, halve them and slice thinly into half-moons.
15 minStep 3: In a large glass or steel bowl, toss the onions with all the 3 ½ oz coarse salt and rub with your hands for 2–3 minutes until they start to release liquid.
3 minStep 4: Pack the onions and their liquid tightly into the 1 litre jar, pressing hard until the liquid rises over them. Weigh them down with a small zip bag filled with salted water (50 g salt per litre, in case it leaks), cover with a cloth and leave at 15–72°F for 5–7 days, pressing down once a day with a clean spoon.
Step 5: Watch the ferment: bubbles, a cloudy liquid and a sharp, sour onion smell are normal, and a flat white film (kahm yeast) can be skimmed off. Fuzzy mould in green, black, blue or pink, a slimy texture or a putrid smell mean it has gone wrong; throw it all away.
Step 6: When the onions are limp, translucent and pleasantly sour, tip them into a clean cloth and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Discard the liquid.
5 minStep 7: Toast the 2 tsp caraway seeds and 2 tsp coriander seeds in a dry pan over a medium heat for 1 minute until fragrant, then grind them with the 1 tsp black peppercorns and 2 tbsp dried rosebuds to a fine powder.
3 minStep 8: Pound the onions in a mortar, or pulse in a food processor, with the ground spices, 4 tbsp sweet paprika, 2 tbsp hot ground chilli, 2 tsp ground turmeric and ¼ cup olive oil until you have a thick, coarse, deep red paste.
8 minStep 9: Pack the paste into the dry 500 ml jar, pressing out any air pockets with the back of a spoon, and pour over the remaining ¼ cup olive oil to cover it by 1 cm. Close and refrigerate for a week before using.
Step 10: Keep it in the fridge for up to 6 months, topping up the oil so the paste stays covered and always using a clean, dry spoon. Discard if you see mould, it smells rotten, or the paste turns slimy. Use a teaspoon in couscous broth, stews or fish dishes, or spread thinly on bread with olive oil.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 50 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 4 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does hrous take?
- About 60 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 24 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of coriander seeds?
- Ground coriander, same amount (add it later in the cooking; it burns faster).
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