Harira soup is a notable dish of Moroccan cuisine. Typically eaten to end the fast during Ramadan, the thick soup is served throughout the rest of the year as well. This dish tastes best when eaten on the second day after making it, once the flavours have melded. Here's how you can make Bab Al Mansour's version of the soup at home.
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 60 minutes
Serves: 10 to 15 bowls
Ingredients
400 ml water
350 gms lamb legs, cubed
350 gms white onions
5 celery sticks, chopped (only the leaves are needed, not the stem)
100 gms coriander leaves, chopped
3500 gms tomato purée
100 gms chickpeas, peeled
300 gms beef stock
100 gms green lentils
100 gms vermicelli (the type used for soup)
100 gms tomato gravy (a blend made with equal measurements of tomatoes, flour and water)
100 gms tomato paste
Salt to taste
3 tablespoons Moroccan ghee or smen (preserved butter)
3 tablespoons Harira spices (a blend made with equal measurements of ground turmeric, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, black pepper and a pinch of cayenne pepper)
Method:
Step 1: In a thick-bottomed pan, pour water and bring it to a rolling boil.
Step 2: Once boiled, add peeled, deseeded, blanched, and puréed tomatoes.
Step 3: Next, add chopped lamb cubes.
Step 4: Stir the mix until the meat starts to change colour. Stir gently.
Step 5: Add the Harira spices, salt to taste, followed by the peeled chickpeas and tomato sauce.
Step 6: Once cooked for about 7 minutes, add the dry green lentils.
Step 7: Pour the tomato gravy made using a mix of tomatoes, flour and water.
Step 8: Add the vermicelli and stir well once again. Make sure you stir it gently because you do not want the lentils to turn mushy.
Step 9: Add freshly chopped coriander and celery leaves to the soup.
Step 10: Next, add 3 tablespoons of smen , which is also known as preserved butter or Moroccan ghee.
Step 11: Give the soup a gentle stir for the butter to melt, before transferring it to a serving bowl.
Step 12: Serve and enjoy with Moroccan halwa chebakia or sesame cookies with honey. You can also drink the soup by pairing it with Moroccan white bread or khobz .
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