Fragrant Moroccan soup with tomatoes, lentils, chickpeas, and a tangle of fresh herbs — the soup that breaks the Ramadan fast.
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.
Serves 6
Heat oil in a large pot. Fry onion until softened. Add ginger, celery, spices and tomato paste. Cook 3 minutes.
Add fresh tomatoes, lentils and stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer 20 minutes until lentils are soft.
Add chickpeas and vermicelli. Cook 10 minutes.
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.
Stir in coriander and parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve with lemon wedges.
The tedouira (flour paste) thickener is what gives harira its authentic body — don't skip it.
Add the herbs at the end, not during cooking — they lose colour and freshness if overcooked.
Harira improves overnight — make it the day before and reheat.
Add 200g diced lamb or chicken for a more substantial version.
Use broken spaghetti if vermicelli is unavailable.
Keeps 4 days in the fridge. Thickens considerably — add water when reheating.
Harira has been made in Morocco for centuries, with its roots in the broader Arabo-Berber culinary traditions of North Africa. It became the quintessential Ramadan soup because of its nourishing combination of protein (lentils, chickpeas) and carbohydrates (noodles) that replenishes the body after a day of fasting. Each Moroccan family has its own recipe, with variations including lamb, beef, or being entirely plant-based. The word 'harira' derives from the Arabic for 'silky.'
Harira has a distinctive set of characteristics: the aromatic combination of celery, fresh coriander and parsley used in large quantities; the warm Moroccan spices (cinnamon, ginger); and crucially, the tedouira — a flour-water paste stirred in near the end that gives harira its characteristic silky, slightly thick body. This thickening technique and the herb quantities are what set harira apart from any other lentil soup.
Per serving (250g) · 6 servings total
Ask our AI cooking assistant anything about this recipe — substitutions, techniques, scaling.
Chat with AI Chef →Join the conversation
Sign in to leave a comment and save your favourite recipes