Harira is the traditional Moroccan soup used to ‘break the fast’ during Ramadan. For me, it’s a great comfort food and cold remedy during the winter months full of nutritious veggies and wonderful spices. Make a big ‘ole pot and you have enough for leftovers or even to freeze for your next spicy soup fix.
Harira is very commonly found throughout Morocco, and Marrakech was no exception. In the chaotic Djemma El Fna in Marrakech there are hundreds of food stalls dedicated to every kind of Moroccan food imaginable! Below is a kebab stall where we had dinner one night.
The crazy beautiful sight of the Djemma El Fna in all it’s glory. Can you imagine this big food party is set up every single night?
Harira Recipe – from a recent cookbook I was given as a gift, “Moroccan: A Culinary Journey of Discovery” by Ghillie Basan. There are many recipes for harira and most people tend to add their own twist. I included a small pasta (like pastina) and a little ras el hanout spice blend. Fresh lemon juice and chopped cilantro right before serving adds a bright kick to the soup. I also toasted some pita bread with zaatar and olive oil on the side.
Ingredients
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 2 onions, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 2 small carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 to 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 lb lean lamb, cut into small chunks
- 2 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp ras el hanout
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 4 cups lamb or chicken stock (or water if you don’t have stock)
- 14 oz canned chopped tomatoes
- 14 oz canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup lentils, rinsed
- 1 small bunch of fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
- 1 small bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped
- salt and pepper
- 1 lemon, cut into squares
Method
Heat oil in a deep, heavy-bottom saucepan, add the onions, celery and carrots, and cook over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to color.
Add the garlic and lamb and cook, stirring, until the lamb is lightly browned all over. Add the spices and bay leaves and stir in the tomato paste. Pour in the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 1 hour, or until the meat is tender.
Add the tomatoes, chickpeas, and lentils and simmer gently for an additional 30 minutes, or until the lentils are soft and the soup is almost as thick as stew. Discard the bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper to taste and toss in most of the parsley and cilantro.
Garnish with the remaining parsley and cilantro and serve the soup piping hot with lemon wedges for squeezing over.
Serves 4.
I would love to eat at that kebab stall. I just got that same book for a present and was wondering how the harira would be – I’m glad to hear you liked it. Your pictures make it look very delicious.