Moroccan Harira – Tomato, Lentil and Chickpea Soup with Herbs

About This Recipe

Harira is Morocco's most celebrated soup — a thick, aromatic tomato-based broth enriched with lentils, chickpeas, and broken vermicelli noodles, fragrant with fresh coriander, parsley, celery, ginger and cinnamon, finished with a handful of fresh lemon juice. It is the soup that breaks the Ramadan fast (iftar) every evening throughout Morocco and is served at every celebratory occasion. A perfect bowl of harira is deeply satisfying, nourishing, and complex in a way that belies its simple ingredients. The flavour architecture of harira is built on three aromatics: a base of tomato (both fresh and paste), a herbal layer of coriander, parsley and celery, and a warm spice note from ginger and cinnamon that is distinctly Moroccan. The soup is thickened with a paste of flour and water stirred in near the end — this is called 'tedouira' and is what gives authentic harira its characteristic body and slightly silky texture. Harira is served with dates, chebakia (honey-glazed sesame pastries), and warm bread. A squeeze of lemon at the table is essential. This is a soup that feeds the soul.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 200 gred lentils(rinsed)
• 400 gcanned chickpeas(drained)
• 4tomatoes(finely diced)
• 3 tbsptomato paste
• 1large onion(finely diced)
• 2 stalkscelery(including leaves, chopped)
• 2 cmfresh ginger(grated)
• 1 tspground cinnamon
• 1 tspground turmeric
• 1 tspground cumin
• 1.5 Lvegetable or chicken stock
• 50 gvermicelli noodles(broken)
• 2 tbspflour(mixed with 100ml water for tedouira)
• 1 large bunchfresh coriander(chopped)
• 1 bunchfresh parsley(chopped)
• 2lemons(juice, to serve)

Instructions

1. 1

   Fry aromatics

   Heat oil in a large pot. Fry onion until softened. Add ginger, celery, spices and tomato paste. Cook 3 minutes.

2. 2

   Add tomatoes and stock

   Add fresh tomatoes, lentils and stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer 20 minutes until lentils are soft.

3. 3

   Add chickpeas and noodles

   Add chickpeas and vermicelli. Cook 10 minutes.

4. 4

   Add the tedouira

   Whisk flour-water paste until smooth. Pour slowly into the simmering soup while stirring constantly. Cook 10 minutes until soup thickens.

   Add slowly and stir constantly to prevent lumps.

5. 5

   Finish with herbs

   Stir in coriander and parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve with lemon wedges.

Variations

• •

  Add 200g diced lamb or chicken for a more substantial version.

• •

  Use broken spaghetti if vermicelli is unavailable.

Storage

Keeps 4 days in the fridge. Thickens considerably — add water when reheating.

Frequently Asked Questions