Name: Tomato & Chilli Harissa
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Yield: MAKES 1 X 350g jar
Ingredients: 1 tsp each caraway and coriander seeds; ½ tsp cumin seeds; 100ml olive oil , plus a little extra; 4 garlic cloves , peeled but kept whole; 1 tsp smoked paprika; 500g tomatoes , deseeded and chopped; 3 red chillies , deseeded (use more chillies and leave the seeds in if you like it very fiery); 1 tsp rosewater (optional)

Why it works: Coriander and cumin match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,866 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓

Tomato & Chilli Harissa

MAKES 1 X 350g jar

Prep15 min

Cook15 min

Ingredients

1 tsp each caraway and coriander seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds
100ml olive oil , plus a little extra
4 garlic cloves , peeled but kept whole
1 tsp smoked paprika
500g tomatoes , deseeded and chopped
3 red chillies , deseeded (use more chillies and leave the seeds in if you like it very fiery)
1 tsp rosewater (optional)

Directions

Step-by-step directions aren't available for this recipe. See the full recipe at the source →

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

153Calories

2 gProtein

14 gFat

7 gCarbs

Counts 4 of 7 ingredients. The other 3 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 4 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Tomato	1 medium (123g)	22
Cumin	1 tsp ground (2.1g)	8
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Caraway	not in our table	0
Coriander	not in our table	0
Seed	not in our table	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By bbcgoodfood. Recipe from Open Recipes.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Coriander + cumintop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,866 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Olive + tomatotop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together15,539 recipes

Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
Cumin + garlictop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together5,082 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Coriander + tomatotop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,967 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).
Olive + garlictop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together25,665 recipes

Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

Swap the caraway

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (coriander, cumin, olive, garlic, clove, tomato):

Oreganofits better
Turmericfits better
Cardamomfits better
Carawaythe original

Fit is the average pairing score against coriander, cumin, olive, garlic, clove, tomato. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

Like knowing why a recipe works?

The free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.

Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.