Harira (Moroccan tomato, lentil and chickpea soup)
90 min · 27 g protein · 350 cals / serving
A thick, warming tomato soup packed with lentils, chickpeas and tender morsels of beef, perfumed with ginger, cinnamon, turmeric and handfuls of fresh cilantro and parsley. A little flour slurry gives it its silky body, and a squeeze of lemon at the table brightens every bowl. In Morocco it breaks the fast every evening during Ramadan.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3/4 lb top round steak, lean beef or lamb, in 1 cm (1/2-inch) cubes
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 3 stalks celery, with leaves, finely chopped
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped, divided
- 1 cup fresh parsley, chopped, divided
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 cans (14 oz each) canned crushed tomatoes
- 6 1/4 cups water
- 3/4 cup lentils, brown or green, rinsed
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 can (15 oz), drained chickpeas
- 1/3 cup pasta, vermicelli broken into short pieces, or orzo
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
To serve
- 2 tbsp lemon juice, lemon wedges
Steps
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the beef, onion, celery, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, paprika and pepper and cook 5–6 minutes, stirring, until the meat is coloured and the onion soft.
- Add half the cilantro and parsley, the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, water, lentils and salt. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 40 minutes, until the lentils and beef are tender.
- Add the chickpeas and vermicelli and simmer 10 minutes more.
- Whisk the flour with 1 cup cold water until smooth. Stir it slowly into the simmering soup and keep stirring 5 minutes, until it turns silky and slightly thick.
- Stir in the rest of the herbs, taste for salt and serve hot, with lemon wedges to squeeze over.
Good to know
Can I make it vegetarian?
Leave out the beef and add a second can of chickpeas or another 1/2 cup lentils; it's about the same score. Many Moroccan families make it this way.
What goes with it?
During Ramadan it comes with dates and hard-boiled eggs. A few dates on the side and an egg in the bowl are a lovely way to eat it any time.
It got very thick overnight.
Harira thickens as it sits. Loosen it with water or broth when you reheat. It keeps 4 days in the fridge and freezes well.
Alternative
Per
- Calories
- 59
- Protein
- (33%)
- 5 g
- Fat
- (17%)
- 1 g
- Carbohydrates
- (50%)
- 8 g
- of which sugar
- 2 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sodium
- 188 mg
More meals
Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 2101 kcal goes into the pot and 3611 g of ingredients comes out as about 3550 g of food: 59 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.