Harira, a fragrant and easy soup

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Main Dish

8 servings

Very Easy

1 h 40 m

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Usually consumed to break the fast during Ramadan, Harira soup is a complete meal: vegetables, meat, legumes, and carbohydrates. Everything is there to compensate for a day without food! Enhanced with spices and herbs that are characteristic of Maghreb cuisine, this soup is a true delight.

Ingredients

• 1 onion
• 5 ounces beef
• 1 celery stalk
• 3 ounces lentils
• 600 grams peeled tomatoes
• 400 grams chickpeas
• 40 grams vermicelli
• 1 stock cube
• 1 small bunch of parsley
• 1 small bunch of cilantro
• 1 tsp tomato paste
• salt
• pepper
• turmeric
• ground ginger
• olive oil
• 50 grams flour
• water

Materials

• pot, ladle, knife, cutting board

Preparation

• In a pot, heat the olive oil. Chop the onion and cut the meat into small cubes, then sauté them in the oil.
• Add the lentils, finely chopped celery, diced tomatoes, and cover with water. Add the drained chickpeas, the stock cube, the heaping teaspoon of tomato paste, and spices to taste.
• Finely chop the herbs and add them to the soup. Bring everything to a boil and let it cook for 1 hour over medium heat.
• Dissolve the flour in water and pour this "sauce" into the soup. Add the vermicelli, mix, and let it cook for 10 minutes.
• Serve with some fresh cilantro and a drizzle of lemon juice. And there you have it, your Harira is ready!

Observations

The herbs: the special flavor of this soup comes from using fresh herbs. Do not replace them with dried herbs, or you may not achieve the desired result.
The chickpeas: here we used canned chickpeas, but you can also use dried ones. Just soak them in water overnight before preparation, and check their cooking thoroughly.
The vermicelli: we used vermicelli here, but the pasta typically used is bird's tongue pasta. You can also replace them with rice, or omit them altogether.
The flour binder: this dish is prepared for Ramadan, so it needs to be filling, hence the addition of flour. However, this is not mandatory.
Smen / Rancid butter: If you want to get as close as possible to the Harira as it is consumed in the Maghreb, swap your vegetable stock for a Smen stock cube. This is rancid butter, which many like to add to their soup. You can find it in Arabic grocery stores or in the world cuisine aisle of supermarkets.

Cookware

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Questions

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