Spicy Flavor – Harissa Noodle Salad

Harissa is a hot, spicy, aromatic chili pepper paste that is indispensable in the North African kitchen.

Many, many years ago, a tiny little woman called Trinh Le changed my life. The first time, I was picking up my grandparents from her home after their acupuncture appointment. She took one look at me and said “No bread and no pasta for you!” 

Later that night, Rachel and I were strolling on the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. “She said no bread and no pasta. Do you think that means cake is okay?” I joked.

Avoiding bread is really hard, but eliminating pasta wasn’t difficult at all.

When I met Alan, he was training for the Chicago marathon and avoiding all carbohydrates, so our pasta habits were totally in sync. When I met Alan, my son Ariel was six-and-a-half years old and one of the first meals that Alan prepared for Ariel was macaroni and cheese, something that I had never, ever made for him. It made me fall even more in love with Alan.

The second time Trinh Le changed my life was when she reassured me that Alan and I would become parents without IVF treatments. After enduring two surgeries, countless ultrasounds, blood draws and hormone injections, Alan and I were “let go” by our second infertility doctor.

She was right and after her acupuncture treatments and much prayer, Alan and I soon had three girls for whom to make Mac and cheese.

One thing about little kids, they sure love pasta! Nothing goes better with pasta than dairy, which works for weekday meals, but not for Shabbat. That’s when Asian Noodle Salad became a staple of my Shabbat menus. It’s weird to make a dish that Alan won’t touch, but this one is a consistent favorite with everyone else, especially little kids.

For many years, I garnished my noodle salad with sections of roasted broccoli, snap peas, grated carrots and shredded purple cabbage, as well as roasted peanuts and sesame seeds. It looked beautiful and my guests loved it.

This month, I had a full house and a busy meal schedule. Our eldest daughter Gabriella had brought her vegan friend Sarah home for the holidays. So this vegan Harissa Noodle Salad was the perfect, easy dish to round out my menu and the delicious leftovers were just right for a quick nosh between meals.

There are two secrets to making this noodle salad awesome—adding baking soda to the water while boiling the pasta, then adding the harissa dressing while the pasta is still warm. The simplest garnish of roasted sesame seeds and green onions is all you need to play up these spicy, savory (and most comforting) noodles.

—Sharon

The simplest garnish of roasted sesame seeds and green onions is all you need to play up these spicy, savory (and most comforting) noodles.

Harissa is a hot, spicy, aromatic chili pepper paste that is indispensable in the North African kitchen. Harissa comes from the Arabic word for “to crush or pound” which refers to the grinding of chiles to make this bright red paste. The recipe originated in the Cape Bon area of Tunisia and harissa is so popular there that it is referred to as Tunisian ketchup.

Although my mother used harissa to flavor many of her recipes, I didn’t really start eating harissa until I was an adult.

However, harissa was the star ingredient in one of my favorite dishes from my childhood—my mother’s spicy tuna spaghetti. A few years ago, Sharon and I featured the recipe in The Jewish Journal. We described how canned tuna is sautéed with chopped onions, crushed garlic and tomato paste, then finished with a big spoonful of harissa. My mouth is watering just thinking about this flavorful dish!

My mom would make her spicy tuna whenever she wasn’t in the mood to cook or was in a rush to get dinner on the table. Alas, the idea of a dish featuring hot canned tuna is not an easy sell in the United States, so my kids won’t eat it.

Once in a while, my brother Moïse will cook a big, comforting bowl of this spicy pasta. He, my brother Solomon and I will sit around the table, twirling that red pasta around our forks, reminiscing and really enjoying the special moment.

—Rachel

P.S. Trinh Le changed my life, too. Ten years before Sharon’s infertility struggle, I was fighting to become pregnant. Sharon recommended that I visit Trinh Le and I soon became pregnant with our eldest son Sammy.

Harissa Noodle Salad 

Dressing
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/4 cup honey
2 tsp harissa
4 large garlic cloves, crushed

In a bowl or jar, whisk together soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, honey, harissa and crushed garlic. Set aside.

1 lb spaghetti or capellini noodles
2 Tbsp baking soda
3 Tbsp sesame seeds
4 stalks green scallions, finely chopped

Fill a large pot with cold water and bring to a boil. Add the noodles and the baking soda and cook according to package directions.

Remove noodles from the heat and drain in a colander. Lightly rinse noodles with cold water.

Place warm noodles in a serving bowl. Whisk dressing and pour over the noodles, then toss thoroughly.

When pasta has cooled, garnish with sesame seeds and scallions.

Sharon Gomperts and Rachel Emquies Sheff have been friends since high school. The Sephardic Spice Girls project has grown from their collaboration on events for the Sephardic Educational Center in Jerusalem. Follow them
on Instagram @sephardicspicegirls and on Facebook at Sephardic Spice SEC Food.