Best Moroccan Harira Recipes

HARIRA (SPICED MOROCCAN VEGETABLE SOUP WITH CHICKPEAS, CILANTRO, AND LEMON)

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and sauté the onion, celery, and carrots until the onion turns translucent and begin to brown, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add the turmeric, cumin, harissa or chile flakes, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 cup each of the parsley and cilantro, tomatoes, and the stock or water and bring to a boil. If using the soaked chickpeas, drain them and add to the pot. Simmer uncovered for 25 minutes, then add the lentils, another teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of pepper and continue simmering until the chickpeas and lentils are cooked, about 20 minutes more. If using canned chickpeas omit the first 25 minutes of simmering and add with the lentils.
• Whisk the flour, egg, and lemon juice into 2 cups (470 ml) of water. Stir into the soup. Simmer the soup about 5 minutes more and serve, sprinkled with the remaining cilantro and parsley. And don't forget to have some extra harissa in a plate on the side.

HARIRA: MOROCCAN CHICKPEA STEW WITH CHICKEN AND LENTILS

Steps:

• Pick over the chickpeas, cover with cold water, and soak overnight at room temperature. Drain chickpeas and rinse well with cold running water. Drain and set aside.
• Heat the olive oil in a medium stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the chicken pieces with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Add the chicken in batches, and cook until well browned, about 4 minutes per batch. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside. Add the onions and celery and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the ginger, turmeric, pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Return the chicken to the pan and add the tomatoes and their juices, stirring well. Stir in the chicken stock, lentils, and chickpeas and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook at a gentle simmer for 1 hour.
• Add the rice and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and return the soup to a simmer. Cook covered for 30 minutes. Remove the lid, add the cilantro, parsley, and lemon juice and cook, uncovered for 5 minutes.
• Ladle into warmed soup bowls and garnish with fresh cilantro sprigs.

MOROCCAN HARIRA (BEAN SOUP)

Steps:

• Stir beef stock and lentils together in a large pot; bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and keep at a simmer while preparing onion.
• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir onion, cinnamon stick, ginger, turmeric, cumin, and black pepper in the hot oil until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes; add to stock mixture.
• Pour garbanzo beans, kidney beans, tomatoes, and quinoa into the stock mixture; stir and bring mixture to a boil. Stir parsley and cilantro into the stock mixture; reduce heat to low and cook mixture at a simmer until the lentils are tender, about 45 minutes. Drizzle lemon juice over the soup before serving.

VEGETARIAN MOROCCAN HARIRA

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat and cook onion until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, chickpeas, cilantro, parsley, mint, paprika, turmeric, ginger, harissa, and saffron. Add water and cook over medium heat until flavors have combined, about 30 minutes.
• Mix a few tablespoons of soup liquid with flour and cornstarch in a small bowl and return to the soup, stirring in well. Add cherry tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer over low heat until soup thickens, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

MOROCCAN HARIRA

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large non-stick sauté pan over a medium heat and fry the onions and garlic until starting to soften. Tip in the spices and chilli, stir briefly, then pour in the passata and stock. Add the lentils, carrots, sweet potato and celery, and bring to the boil.
• Cover the pan and leave to simmer for 30 mins, then cook uncovered for a further 5-10 mins until the vegetables and lentils are tender. Stir in the chopped coriander and serve in bowls with lemon wedges for squeezing over, and the reserved coriander sprinkled over.

MOROCCAN HARIRA & CHICKEN SOUP

Steps:

• Heat half the oil in a frying pan, season the thighs and brown really well on both sides. Remove to a plate. Tip a mug of water into the pan and simmer, scraping up all the browned bits. Tip this liquid into a measuring jug for later.
• Put the remaining oil, the vegetables and coriander stalks in a big saucepan. Gently cook until the veg is softened - about 5 mins. Stir in the spices, turn up the heat, and cook for a few mins. Stir in the harissa, followed by the tomatoes, the chicken, stock cubes and lentils. Top up your jug of chickeny juices to 500ml with water, then add this, too. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 mins.
• Lift the chicken from the soup and shred finely using a couple of forks. Return to the soup with the lemon zest and juice, sugar, and season to taste. Ladle into bowls with a dollop of yogurt and the coriander leaves, and serve with toast, spread with hummus and drizzled with oil.

MOROCCAN HARIRA SOUP

Steps:

• Cook lentils in pot of boiling salted water for 2 minutes. Drain.
• Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onion, parsley, cilantro, ginger, and cinnamon. Saute 5 minutes or until onion is soft.
• Stir in tomatoes and saute 5 minutes more.
• Stir in broth, chickpeas, lentils, reserved tomato liquid, and 3 cups water.
• Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 45 minutes or until lentils are tender, stirring occassionally.
• In separate bowl, whisk flour with 1 cup water.
• Whisk in cilantro, lemon juice and tomato paste.
• Add mixture to soup.
• Add orzo to soup.
• Cook for 5 minutes or until orzo is soft.

HARIRA (MOROCCAN LENTIL SOUP)

Steps:

• Chop celery, onion, cilantro.
• Place the lamb (bones optional, for flavoring), spices, margarine, celery, onion, and cilantro into a large pot over a low heat.
• Stir tomatoes(without juice) into the mixture and let simmer for 15 minutes.
• Pour tomato juice, 7 cups water, and the lentils into the pot.
• Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer. Let soup simmer, covered, for 2 hours. Stirring occasionally.
• About 10 minutes before serving turn the heat to medium-high, place chickpeas and vermicelli into the soup, let cook about 10 minutes.
• Serve soup with lemon wedges on the side.
• This is optional: serve with warm slices of bread, dates and boiled eggs (cut in half and sprinkled with cumin and salt).

ROBERT CARRIER'S MOROCCAN HARIRA

Steps:

• Tip the chickpeas and lentils into a large saucepan or flameproof casserole. Add the lamb, onion, turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, saffron strands and paprika, then pour in 1.5 litres/21⁄2 pints water. Season.
• Bring to the boil, skimming all the froth from the surface as the water begins to bubble, then stir in half the butter. Turn down the heat and simmer the soup, covered, for 11⁄2 -2 hours until the chickpeas are tender, adding a little more water from time to time as necessary.
• Towards the end of the cooking time, prepare the rice. Bring 850ml/ 11⁄2 pints water to the boil in a saucepan, shower in the rice, the rest of the butter and salt to taste. Cook until the rice is very tender. Drain, reserving 3tbsp of the liquid.
• To finish, put the reserved rice liquid in a small saucepan. Stir in the coriander, parsley (hold a little back for a garnish if you like) and tomatoes, then simmer for 15 minutes, stirring from time to time. Add to the soup with the rice, and then taste for seasoning. Simmer for 5-10 minutes to thicken slightly. Serve hot, with a lemon quarter for each serving so guests can squeeze over lemon juice to taste.

MEATLESS HARIRA (A MOROCCAN SOUP)

Steps:

• In a large soup pot, saute the onion, parsley, celery, pepper and turmeric in the butter for a few minutes, then add the cinnamon and other spices.
• Saute on very low heat for about 15 minutes or less, until the onions are soft and the spices are well-distributed.
• Wash the lentils.
• Puree the coriander leaves in a blender with a little water, or pound with a mortar and pestle.
• Add both to the pot, along with the crushed tomatoes (I also like to puree the tomatoes in the blender before I add them, to eliminate any large chunks that might remain).
• Cook for 15 minutes over low heat, and then add 1 1/2 quarts of water (about 7 cups).
• Add the soup cube.
• Cook on low/medium heat until the lentils are soft (I usually let the soup cook for about 2 hours to allow the flavors to blend).
• A few minutes before serving, add salt to the soup (you could also add some vermicelli or other small soup noodle at this point, but I personally don't; if you do, make sure to allow an extra few minutes for the noodles to cook).
• Add the flour and water mixture; mix well to prevent lumps from forming.
• Serve with lemon wedges on the side, to be squeezed over the soup.

HARIRA - MOROCCAN LAMB STEW

Steps:

• Place the lamb, turmeric, black pepper, cinnamon, ginger, cayenne, margarine, celery, onion, and cilantro into a large soup pot over a low heat.
• Stir frequently for 5 minutes.
• Pour tomatoes (reserve juice) into the mixture and let simmer for 15 minutes.
• Pour tomato juice, 7 cups water, and the lentils into the pot.
• Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer.
• Let soup simmer, covered, for 2 hours.
• About 10 minutes before serving turn the heat to medium-high, place chickpeas and noodles into the soup, let cook about 10 minutes (until noodles are al dente).
• Stir in lemon and eggs, let eggs cook 1 minute.

MOROCCAN HARIRA - A FAVOURITE IN ALGERIA

Steps:

• In a medium sized bowl, pour 1 cup of water, the lemon juice and the flour. Set aside.
• Also put 1 garlic clove and 1/4 of the corriander to one side until the end of cooking.
• Take a heavy bottomed pan or pressure cooker and place the meat (if using small pieces or boneless meat, it's best to secure them in a muslin cloth bag), add the vegetables and remaining corriander roughly chopped.
• Fry those ingredients with a little oil, 1 tsp of ras el hanout for a couple of minutes then pour on the water and leave to simmer, covered for 1 and a 1/2 hours or around 45 minutes in a pressure cooker. (or until meat and vegetables are tender) Add salt & pepper to taste.
• Remove the meat and set aside. Remove any traces of bones, gristle etc.
• Liquidise the remaining vegetables and push through sieve when finished, take another cup of freshly boiled water and pour over sieve to get any last traces!
• Put everything back in the pan and on low heat (just enough to reach a slow boil) You may wish to add a little more water or stock at this stage.
• When the harira reaches the boil, lower heat a little & add the flour mixture prepared in step 1. Add a few tbsp of the harira to the flour mix first. Remember to add gradually and stir continuously to avoid lumps.
• Turn heat to low and finely chopped coriander (last 1/4), final garlic clove minced & 2 tsp of ras el hanout. Allow the harira to heat through again so garlic is not raw.
• Sprinkle more coriander on top if desired and serve with fresh bread.