Harira Moroccan Soup

Harira Soup

Harira is the most served soup in Morocco. It is surely one of the best soups that any one can ever eat and am proud to have my version of the dish. Once you have my soup, you will see that it makes sense why pasta, lentils and chickpeas are so filling and delectable at the same time. If you want to prepare a vegetarian harira soup, just omit the lamb.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, and extra for garnish
• Optionally, use 12 ounces boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1/2 -inch pieces
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, or to taste
• 1 ½ teaspoons of smoked paprika.
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 4 cloves, minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
• 4 cups of chicken broth
• 1 ” 15 ounces ” can crushed tomatoes
• 2 ribs of celery with leaves chopped
• 2 cups water or to taste
• 1 can which contains about 15 ounces of chickpeas which have been drained
• ¾ cup green lentils, rinsed
• 1 tablespoon of flour which is available
• 2 tablespoons of cold water
• ½ cup of fresh cilantro which is finely chopped
• ½ cup of fresh parsley finely chopped
• ½ cup of vermicelli which needs to be broken in half
• 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• 1 lemon, juiced

Directions

1. Gather all ingredients
2. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat and cook cubed lamb until nicely browned and some of the fat has rendered, for about 5 minutes.
3. Toss in diced onion and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until onion is soft and lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Season with smoked paprika, coriander, cumin, ground ginger, black pepper, and cinnamon. Add minced garlic and cook and stir until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
4. Add tomato paste and cook and stir for about 1 minute.
5. Add chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, and celery; stir until well combined. Add water and bring to a boil over high heat.
6. Once soup is boiling, add chickpeas and green lentils; season with salt to taste. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Mix flour and 2 tablespoons cold water in a small bowl and drizzle slurry into the soup to thicken.
8. Bring back to a simmer and add 1/2 of the cilantro and 1/2 of the parsley; stir to combine.
9. Simmer on medium-low heat until meat and lentils are perfectly tender and soup has thickened, about 20 more minutes.
10. Stir in vermicelli and cook until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with cayenne and salt. Add remaining chopped cilantro and parsley and finish by drizzling lemon juice to taste into the soup.
11. Serve immediately with a drizzle of olive oil.