A hearty Moroccan soup of lentils, chickpeas and tomato thickened with a flour-and-egg tedouira, traditionally eaten to break the Ramadan fast.
Harira is Morocco's most famous soup, eaten year-round but especially prominent during Ramadan, when families break their fast each evening with a bowl alongside dates and hard-boiled eggs. Built from a base of tomatoes, lentils, chickpeas and often small pieces of lamb, the soup is seasoned with a fragrant mix of ginger, cinnamon, turmeric and fresh cilantro and parsley that gives it real depth despite its humble ingredients. The defining technique is the tedouira, a mixture of flour and water (sometimes egg) whisked in near the end of cooking, which thickens the broth to a substantial, almost stew-like consistency without any cream or heavy fat.
Serves 6
If using lamb, brown it in olive oil in a large pot with onion and celery, about 8 minutes.
Add garlic, ginger, turmeric and cinnamon, cooking 1 minute until fragrant.
Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, lentils, chickpeas, water, salt, cilantro and parsley.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer partially covered 45-50 minutes until the lentils are fully tender.
Whisk flour into the 1/2 cup water until completely smooth with no lumps.
Slowly drizzle the flour mixture into the simmering soup while whisking constantly, then simmer 5-10 more minutes until visibly thickened.
Whisk continuously as you add the tedouira or it will clump instead of blending smoothly.
Stir in lemon juice and adjust salt to taste before serving hot.
Whisk the tedouira into a completely smooth slurry before adding it to the pot, and pour it in slowly while stirring to avoid lumps.
Simmer the lentils fully before adding the tedouira — once thickened, the soup can scorch more easily on the bottom.
Add the lemon juice at the very end; cooking it in earlier mutes its brightness.
A vegetarian harira omits the lamb entirely and relies on the lentils and chickpeas for protein.
Some families add broken vermicelli noodles in the final few minutes of cooking for extra body.
During Ramadan, harira is traditionally served with dates, hard-boiled eggs, and chebakia (sesame honey cookies) alongside it.
Refrigerate up to 4 days; the soup thickens further as it sits, so thin with a little water or stock when reheating. It also freezes well for up to 2 months.
Harira has been documented in Moroccan households for centuries as the traditional soup to break the day's fast during Ramadan, its combination of legumes and grains chosen to replenish energy gently after a full day without food.
Yes, a vegetarian version using just lentils, chickpeas and vegetable stock is very common and still deeply savory.
You can skip the tedouira for a thinner soup, or beat in a whisked egg at the end instead for a different kind of thickening.
Either the tedouira wasn't added or the soup needs a longer simmer after thickening — let it reduce a bit more over low heat.
Per serving (400g / 14.1 oz) · 6 servings total
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