Harira

Morocco's great soup of the breaking of the Ramadan fast: a thick, richly spiced broth of tomato, chickpeas and lentils thickened with a flour-and-water paste (tedouira), finished with a squeeze of lemon, a shower of fresh coriander and crispy fried vermicelli. Harira is the bowl that ends every day of Ramadan fasting across Morocco.

Origin: Morocco & Algeria

From the journey of Wheat.

Harira is the Moroccan national soup, eaten daily during Ramadan at the moment the fast breaks (iftar), but served year-round at celebrations, weddings and as a restorative after late nights. The use of flour (or rice, or broken vermicelli) to thicken a broth, tedouira (is an ancient North African technique. The soup's complexity) warm spices (ginger, cinnamon, turmeric), the acidity of tomato and lemon, the earthiness of lentils and chickpeas: represents the distilled wisdom of Moroccan spice culture refined over medieval trade routes. Every Moroccan cook has their harira, and no two are identical.

Ingredients

  • 300 g lamb shoulder, diced
  • 1 large onion, grated
  • 3 Celery stalks with leaves, finely chopped
  • large bunch Fresh coriander, chopped
  • small bunch Fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
  • 400 g tinned tomatoes, crushed
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 150 g green lentils
  • 200 g cooked chickpeas
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 0.5 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • pinch Saffron
  • 3 tbsp plain flour
  • 100 ml water (for tedouira)
  • 60 g thin vermicelli, broken
  • to finish Lemon juice
  • 1.5 litres water or stock

Method

  1. In a large pot, combine lamb, onion, celery, half the coriander and parsley, tomatoes, tomato paste, spices and saffron. Cover with stock. Bring to the boil, skim, then simmer 45 minutes.
  2. Add lentils and chickpeas. Simmer 25 minutes more until lentils are tender.
  3. Make the tedouira: whisk flour into 100ml cold water until smooth. Slowly pour into the simmering soup, stirring constantly. The soup will thicken.
  4. Add vermicelli and cook 5 minutes.
  5. Finish with lemon juice, the remaining coriander and parsley. Adjust seasoning. The soup should be thick, tangy and deeply fragrant.
  6. Serve with chebakia (sesame honey pastry) and dates: the traditional Ramadan iftar accompaniments.
The Gastrographer

The Gastrographer

Mapping Culinary History

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route
Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control
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