Harira
Enough for 4 to 6 people
Preparation time: 10 minutes plus overnight soaking
Cooking: 2 hours
This is a vegetarian version of a Moroccan chickpea and lentil soup, traditionally served to end the fast of Ramadan and usually cooked very slowly in meat stock over an open coal burner. It’s important that the chickpeas are absolutely tender, so cook them for as long as you have to (the older they are, the longer they take to cook). This soup is even better if made a day ahead and reheated.
200g dried chick peas (soaked and cooked as in the recipe below) OR
Cook the chick peas in a pressure cooker, use as cooked chickpeas and change cooking times accordingly
60ml light olive oil
1 large onion chopped
5 cloves garlic, 3 chopped finely and 2 left whole
1 tbsp ground cumin
1/2 tbsp ground ginger
5 ripe tomatoes, chopped & skinned (pour boiling water on them and leave for a few minutes, then peel off skin)
100g tinned brown lentils, drained
1 veg stock cube
1 litre water
generous pinch saffron strands, soaked in 75ml hot water
large bunch coriander, finely chopped
large bunch parsley, finely chopped
1/2 tsp tabasco sauce, or to taste
salt and pepper
juice of half a lemon
Serve with
Wheat tortillas/pitta bread
lemon wedges
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
The day before you want to serve the dish, put the chickpeas to soak in plenty of cold water.
Heat the light olive oil in a large saucepan and over a medium heat, fry the onion for at least 15 minutes until well browned. Add the chopped garlic, ground cumin and ginger and 3 of the chopped tomatoes and fry together for a further 5 minutes. Then add the drained chickpeas, the lentils, stock cube and whole garlic cloves as well as the water. Cover with a well fitting lid and simmer for 1 hour over a low heat. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
Uncover the pan and test the consistency of the chickpeas. Return them to the boil and simmer until you are satisfied that they are completly soft with no trace of chalkiness - could take up to another 30 minutes. Add more water if you like, but bear in mind that the soup should be thick. When the chickpeas are cooked, add the saffron and its soaking water and cook for 5 minutes more so the chickpeas are starting to break up.
Just before serving, add the remaining 2 chopped tomatoes, then the parsley and coriander, reserving a little of each for garnish. Season with tabasco, salt and pepper. Stir in the lemon juice, add some parsley and coriander on top and drizzle over some olive oil. Serve with lemon wedges and a stack of oven warmed wheat tortillas by the side.