Moroccan Recipes: Harira ( Tomato, Lentil and Chickpea soup)

Harira

( Tomato, Lentil and Chickpea soup)

This soup origins from Morocco and Algeria and is often eaten during Ramadan, a holy month for Muslims who observe a daily fast, eating only before daybreak and after sunset.
For Algerian and Moroccan Jews it is also customary to serve harira after the Yom Kippur fast.
Harira is Morocco’s famous tomato and lentil soup. It’s fragrantly seasoned with ginger, pepper, and cinnamon, and also boasts a robust quantity of fresh herbs: cilantro, parsley, celery and onion.
A harira soup mix is available in some Middle Eastern markets and on grocery store shelves in Morocco, but shy away from it. Instead, start gathering the fresh ingredients to make your own harira from scratch.


Serves:  6 to 8 cups

Total time: 2 hours 10 minutes


Ingredients:

½ lb. uncooked meat (lamb, beef or chicken), chopped into 1/2” pieces

several soup bones (optional)

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 bunch cilantro (coriander), finely chopped to yield about 1/4 cup

1 bunch parsley, finely chopped to yield about 1/4 cup

1 or 2 celery stalks with leaves, finely chopped

1 large onion, grated

1 handful of dry chick peas, soaked and then peeled

1 tablespoon smen

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1 1/2 teaspoons pepper1 tablespoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon turmeric, ¼ teaspoon yellow colorant or safron

6 large tomatoes (about 1 kg), peeled, seeded and pureed

2 to 3 tbsp dry lentils, picked over and washed

3 tablespoons tomato paste, mixed evenly into 1 or 2 cups of water

2 to 3 tablespoons uncooked rice  or  uncooked broken vermicelli

1 cup flour

 




Slice of lemon served on side and used if desired added to taste.













Step 1:


Soak and skin the chickpeas. (You might want to soak them the night before you cook.)
Pick through the lentils and wash them.
Peel, seed and puree the tomatoes in a blender or food processor. Or, stew the tomatoes and pass them through a food mill to remove the seeds and skin.
Pick the parsley and cilantro leaves from their stems. Small pieces of stem are OK, but discard long, thick pieces with no leaves. Wash the herbs, drain well, and finely chop them by hand or with a food processor.


Step 2:

Put the meat, soup bones and oil larger pressure cooker or stew pot. Over medium heat, cook the meat for a few minutes, stirring to brown all sides.


Step 3:

Add the cilantro, parsley, celery, onion, chick peas, tomatoes, smen and spices. Stir in 3 cups of water.
Cover tightly, and heat over high heat until pressure is achieved. Reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and release the pressure.


Step 4:

Add the lentils, tomato paste mixture, and 2 quarts (about 2 liters) of water to the stock.
Set aside either the rice or vermicelli but don't add yet.Cover the pot and heat the soup over high heat until pressure is achieved. Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking. Tip: If adding rice:
Cook the soup on pressure for 30 minutes. Release the pressure, and add the rice. Cover, and cook with pressure for an additional 15 minutes.
If adding vermicelli:
Cook the soup on pressure for 45 minutes. Release the pressure, and add the vermicelli. Simmer the soup, uncovered, for five to ten minutes or until the vermicelli is plump and cooked.


Step 5:


While the soup is cooking, mix together the 1 cup of flour with 2 cups of water.
Set the mixture aside and stir occasionally. The flour will eventually blend with the water. If the mixture is not smooth when you're ready to use it, pass it through a sieve to remove any lumps.
Once the rice or vermicelli has cooked, taste your soup for seasoning.
Add salt or pepper if desired.

Step 6:

Bring you soup to a full simmer. Slowly and in a thin stream pour in the flour mixture.
Stir constantly and keep the soup simmering so the flour doesn’t stick to the bottom of your pan.
You will notice the soup beginning to thicken when you've used around half the flour mixture.
How thick to make harira is your own preference.
Simmer the thickened soup, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 10 minutes to cook off the taste of the flour.

Step 7

Remove the soup from the heat and serve while hot.












Now in Morocco they would say " Saha wa hana " which means;

                                                                " Enjoy your meal "

Where can we find Morocco in th world?

                                              

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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