Moroccan Harira with Lentils and Chickpeas
Harira is meat cooked with onion, celery, coriander and parsley, then puréed tomato, lentils and chickpeas added, and finally the tadwira — flour slaked in water — which gives it its velvety body, followed by vermicelli.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 70 min
- Total
- 90 min
- Calories
- 290
Harira isn't an ordinary soup — it's a complete meal in a bowl, and the first thing Moroccans break their fast with in Ramadan. Its velvety texture comes from neither cream nor butter; it comes from the tadwira.
Method
-
1
The flavour base
In a large pot, brown the meat with the onion and celery in the butter until coloured. Add half the coriander and parsley and the spices and stir for two minutes.
⏱ 10 min -
2
Tomato and pulses
Add the puréed tomato, tomato paste, soaked chickpeas and two litres of water. Cover and simmer for forty-five minutes until the meat and chickpeas are tender.
⏱ 45 min -
3
The lentils
Add the lentils and cook for a further twenty minutes.
⏱ 20 min -
4
The tadwira
Dissolve the flour in a cup of cold water until completely smooth, and pour it into the soup while it's boiling, stirring constantly. You'll see the texture thicken and turn velvety.
-
5
Vermicelli and serving
Add the vermicelli and the rest of the herbs and give it five minutes only. Check the salt and serve with dates and lemon.
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Tips that actually matter
- The tadwira must go in while the soup is boiling and with constant stirring, or it will go lumpy.
- Strain the seeds out of the puréed tomato so the texture comes out smooth.
- The vermicelli goes in for the last five minutes only; longer and it drinks the whole soup.
People also ask
My harira went lumpy.
The tadwira went in when the soup wasn't boiling, or without stirring. Pass it through a sieve or use a stick blender, then return it to the heat.
Can I make it without meat?
Yes — increase the chickpeas and lentils and use vegetable stock. It's a complete, filling vegetarian meal.
How long does it keep?
Three days in the fridge. It thickens as it cools, so reheat it with half a cup of water.
Cook mode
Moroccan Harira with Lentils and Chickpeas
-
1
The flavour base
In a large pot, brown the meat with the onion and celery in the butter until coloured. Add half the coriander and parsley and the spices and stir for two minutes.
-
2
Tomato and pulses
Add the puréed tomato, tomato paste, soaked chickpeas and two litres of water. Cover and simmer for forty-five minutes until the meat and chickpeas are tender.
-
3
The lentils
Add the lentils and cook for a further twenty minutes.
-
4
The tadwira
Dissolve the flour in a cup of cold water until completely smooth, and pour it into the soup while it's boiling, stirring constantly. You'll see the texture thicken and turn velvety.
-
5
Vermicelli and serving
Add the vermicelli and the rest of the herbs and give it five minutes only. Check the salt and serve with dates and lemon.
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