Moroccan-Style Harira Soup
By OcadoLife
Published on 11 September 2021
A comforting soup enriched with earthy cinnamon and tender lamb steak. Harira is a traditional Moroccan dish – made from tomatoes, lentils, chickpeas and spices – that is often eaten to break the fast during Ramadan. Here, former MasterChef champion Saliha Mahmood Ahmed shares her recipe for recreating this indulgent broth at home.Time and servings
1 hrTotal time
6Servings
1 hrCooking time
Ingredients
- 50 g of salted butter
- 400 g of lamb steak, cubed into 1cm chunks
- 0.5 onion, finely chopped
- 1 carrot, finely diced
- 2 sticks of celery, finely sliced
- 3 medium tomatoes, grated
- 75 g of dried green lentils
- 1 stick of cinnamon
- 0.5 tsp of ground turmeric
- 0.5 tsp of freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp of ground ginger
- 1 tsp of ground cumin
- 1 beef stock cube
- 400 g of chickpeas, drained
- 1 heaped tbsp of tomato pureé
- 80 g of wholegrain vermicelli
- 1 handful of parsley or mint, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp of greek yoghurt, to serve
- 2 tbsp of olive oil, to serve
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges, to serve
Method
Step 1
Melt the butter in a sauté pan or deep frying pan over a high heat. When sizzling, add the lamb and sear for 5 mins until brown all over – nice dark edges add flavour to the soup.Step 2
Add the onion, carrot, celery, tomatoes and lentils and stir well. Add the spices and stock cube. Top with 2L of hot water from the kettle and bring to the boil, before turning down the heat to medium. Simmer for 30 mins, stirring occasionally.Step 3
After 30 mins, check the lamb and lentils have softened by pressing them against the side of the pot – they should disintegrate on gentle pressure. Add the chickpeas and tomato pureé. If the mixture is looking too thick, add a touch more hot water to adjust to your preferred consistency. Simmer for a further 15 mins before adding the vermicelli, crushing it to break it up. The vermicelli takes only 2 mins or so to cook and soften fully.Step 4
Ladle the harira into deep bowls. To serve, garnish with the parsley or mint, a spoonful of yoghurt, a generous glug of olive oil and wedges of lemon for squeezing over. It will keep in the fridge for a few days, and freezes well too. Tip: If you like your harira hot, try adding some Kashmiri chilli powder. To make a meat-free version, omit the lamb and add a tin of your favourite pulses, with half the quantity of water.