Harira

About This Recipe

Harira is the definitive Moroccan soup, used to break the fast during Ramadan and eaten year-round as a comforting meal. A complex broth of tomatoes, chickpeas, lentils, lamb, celery, fresh herbs and spices thickened with a flour-water slurry (tadouira), it occupies the space between soup and stew. Fragrant with cinnamon and saffron, and finished with fresh lemon.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 200 glamb shoulder(small cubes, optional)
• 400 gcanned chickpeas(drained)
• 150 gred lentils
• 400 gcanned chopped tomatoes
• 2 stickscelery(diced)
• 1 largeonion(diced)
• 1 tspcinnamon
• 1 tspcumin
• ½ tspturmeric
• 1 small bunchfresh coriander and parsley
• 2 tbspflour(mixed with 100ml water)
• 1lemon(juice)
• 1.5 Lwater

Instructions

1. 1

   Build the base

   Fry onion and celery with spices for 5 minutes. Add lamb (if using) and brown lightly.

2. 2

   Add liquids and legumes

   Add tomatoes, lentils, chickpeas, and water. Bring to a boil and simmer 30 minutes.

3. 3

   Thicken with tadouira

   Whisk flour and water together into a smooth slurry. Pour slowly into the simmering soup, stirring constantly. Cook 10 more minutes.

   The flour slurry is what gives harira its characteristic body — don't skip it.

4. 4

   Finish

   Add fresh herbs and lemon juice. Serve hot with dates, honey cake (chebakia), and flatbread.

Variations

• •

  Fully vegetarian version: omit lamb.

• •

  Add a small tin of tomato paste for a deeper colour.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 4 days. Freezes well for up to 2 months.