Tunisian Charmoula is a pure magic!
Charmoula, also known as Chermoula, is a marinade and relish popular in North Africa. The dish originated in Tunisia and is specific to the regions of Sfax and Djerba.
Charmoula is often served with cured salted fish during Eid al-Fitr. The dish is usually composed of dried dark raisin purée mixed with onions cooked in olive oil and spices such as cloves, cumin, chili, black pepper, and cinnamon.
TUNISIAN CHERMOULA INGREDIENTS
- 125 g black raisins
- 500 g of onions
- 100 ml olive oil
- ½ teaspoon ground cubeb seeds (Kabbaba), optional
- ½ tablespoon of dried rose buds
- ½ teaspoon of cloves
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 2 pinches of salt
- A pinch of ground red pepper (hot or mild)
How to Prepare Tunisian Charmoula
- Heat the oil and add the finely chopped onions
- Let your saucepan cook over low heat with its lid on for about two hours
- Wash the black raisins well and blend them with a half liter of water. Then let this resulting mixture rest for at least 40 minutes
- Mix for a long time over a fine sieve to extract the juice with its aromas contained in the black raisins
- Mix several times with the grape juice water until you obtain a paste
- Pour the grape juice (only the grape juice and nothing else) into the onions after two hours of cooking
- Add the ground spices: dried rose buds, ground cubeb seed (Kabbaba), cinnamon (Kerfa) and cloves (Aoud Kronfol), and cook for another one hour over low heat
- When the sauce “splatters”, it is cooked and ready
Check out some more Tunisian recipes.
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