Moroccan Harira Soup Recipe
If someone asked us to move our house pronto, all hell would sure break out. And no - it would surely not be cos of all our possessions in the whole of our house (well except one). The number of items in my kitchen alone would be enough to cause us all the headache! And if you thought, I am talking about kitchen appliances, you would be wrong again! Its my pantry and food items that would pose a problem! My husband challenges me that he can pack the rest of the house in half the time than it would take me to pack my kitchen items alone. I am not even talking about fastness or energy here! Having  had enough of the taunts , I decided not to buy any major items until I emptied out my pantry.
Moroccan Harira Soup Recipe
So cleaning and finishing of the umpteenth half and quarter packets of unused ingredients has been the mantra for a while now and one small leftover packet which consisted of exactly 1/4 cup (!!) of green lentils was the meal's highlight. Its inevitable that the minute I mention green lentil quite a few foodies would have thought of Moroccan Harira. Its a traditional soup where it is mostly prepared during Ramadan as a meal to break the fast. This lentil and tomato soup is so hearty that I have survived most of my lunches just on this soup. The legumes (chickpeas and green lentils) along with vermicelli (or you can add rice) is protein rich and keeps you full all day long. Its immensely simple to make. I have tried quite a few variations of this soup and  finally have come to like this version from Vegetarian Times magazine with few changes from my end. The editor writes " This traditional soup is thickened with a tadouira - a mixture of flour,tomato paste and cilantro - and served with lemon wedges."  Now to the recipe-
  • Cook time:
  • Prep time:
  • Serves: 2 people
  • Yields: Serves 4 as an appetizer or 2 as main course
Ingredients
  • For the Base
  • 1/4 cup green lentils
  • 1/4 cup cooked chickpeas (soaked overnight and cooked. Or simply use canned chickpeas)
  • 1 onion,chopped
  • 1/4 ground ginger
  • 1/2 '' cinnamon stick
  • 2 large tomatoes, chopped (or you can use canned chopped tomatoes)
  • 1/4 cup Vermicelli
  • generous sprigs of parsley and cilantro
  • few lemon wedges for garnish
  • salt to taste (if needed)
  • Tadouira
  • 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
  • few sprigs of cilantro,chopped
Method
1. In a skillet, add 1/4 tsp oil, add the onions and little of cilantro and cook until soft.
2. Add the chopped tomatoes along with other seasoning like ginger,cinnamon stick etc and cook until soft
3. Add about 2 to 2-1/2 cups of water along with lentils, close the lid and cook until lentils turn soft - anywhere between 15-25 minutes.
4. Add vermicelli ( more water/stock if needed - the vermicelli will thicken the soup). Season with little salt. Cook until vermicelli is soft . Add cooked/canned chickpeas
5. Alternatively make the tadouira. Combine all the ingredients given under it to make a paste.
6. Add it to the soup and cook for another 5 minutes. Serve hot garnished with the herbs.
You can squeeze some lemon juice on top or else simply serve them as wedges for your guests. Moroccan Harira Soup Recipe

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By gajra on Aug 9, 2010

hi DK, have been visiting very often lately and well i have to stop browsing midway because of all the drool on my laptop. u seriously must do something about this , i mean how is one supposed to go on in life?:)) well have been making a lot of ur stuff with super results, did shoot out a mail to u but i think it didn't reach u or what dunno as i never got a reply. no worries ur recipes are still tops with me. i still sometimes go back to the page where u showed my loaf that i first tried out gives me goosebumps still.. thanku so much for that again.

By Sheetal on Jun 29, 2010

really easy receipe to make. worth giving a try. i added veg stock cubes to enhance the flavour and added black pepper powder and chilli flakes to make it hot.

16 Comments

By Green Prophet: Vegetarian Ramadan Recipes From the Middle East | Arwa's Freelance Site on Jul 24, 2012

[...] helps ease your thirst and hunger like a bowl of hot soup. I was lucky enough to try some tasty Moroccan Harira Soup when I was in Tangiers and I highly recommend it. It’s a lovely mix of lentils, chickpeas and [...]

By Vegetarian Ramadan Recipes From the Middle East (PHOTOS) | Green Prophet on Jul 11, 2012

[...] helps ease your thirst and hunger like a bowl of hot soup. I was lucky enough to try some tasty Moroccan Harira Soup when I was in Tangiers and I highly recommend it. It’s a lovely mix of lentils, chickpeas [...]

By mrs bature on Feb 20, 2012

Am salivating already,d recipe is simple,am sure is goin to b yummy,wil definately try it.thnx,I like d ingredients!

By zeb on Nov 25, 2011

DK,can u plz specify what green lentils are???i mean may be a different name for the lentil...Thanx

By Cucee Sprouts on Aug 3, 2010

I made a similar stew and it is now one of my favorite soups! Take a look at my post http://cuceesprouts.com/2010/08/moroccan-red-lentil-bean-stew/. This Stew goes well with white wine.

By PJ on Mar 4, 2010

Made this a couple of days ago and my folks loved it.Thanks a lot for the lovely recipe dear..

By Lisa on Oct 18, 2009

One of the best soups out there, we don't eat it alot but when we do we really enjoy it. My friend makes the best version and I often ask her when she will be making it next.

By Nithya on Oct 3, 2009

Wow.. the soup is such a treat for the eyes. :) Looks divine. You have a brilliant blog on the whole. I am absolutely impressed and sure to be here often :) Dear Nithya, Thank you for your kind words. Appreciate them a lot :) -- DK

By CurryLeaf on Oct 3, 2009

Great looking click and healthy click.I am still at a loss when it comes to kitchen -not sure which items I have purchased (including around 20 different pasta pkts) ,what gadgets are where and one bedroom is converted to a store -you can imagine.Nice to know about you too .I was thinking about ksra bread that you had posted earlier.Will surely be doing it thgh for the event it is another bread from me (if it turns out nice ie) Great soup DK

By Cynthia on Sep 29, 2009

Ummmm, looks good.

By Lubna Karim on Sep 29, 2009

Feel like gulping right now.....very yum and love that easy pictorial...

By Priya on Sep 29, 2009

Such a filling and comfort soup na..we just love it..

By musical on Sep 28, 2009

Perfect for any meal!

By Chakh...le...Re!!! on Sep 28, 2009

wow!! Soup looks yummy!!

By Pavani on Sep 28, 2009

Soup looks divine DK. My husband says exactly the same thing abt the stuff in our kitchen. He will be in for a huge surprise when we receive the mini donut pan that I ordered from Amazon.. shhhhh!!!!!!! one more utensil to add to my ever expanding collection.

By All type of RECIPES!.. » Moroccan Harira Soup Recipe | Ramadan festival Recipes | Chef In You on Sep 28, 2009

[...] no - it would surely not be cos of all our possessions in the whole of our. Here is the original: Moroccan Harira Soup Recipe | Ramadan festival Recipes | Chef In You Monday, September 28th, 2009 at 15:27 RSS feed for comments on this post Leave a comment | [...]