How to Make Moroccan Harira Soup

Rabat – This delicious and wholesome Moroccan harira soup is a traditional part of Morocco’s Ramadan iftar (breakfast). It is full of protein and has a comforting, homely taste that fills you up immediately after a day of fasting. However, it is also the perfect way to start the day throughout the year, particularly in cold or rainy weather.

As with most traditional recipes, methods for making Moroccan Harira soup vary from region to region and from family to family. In south-eastern Morocco, the soup is made with vegetables instead of legumes like Kale and fava beans as a base. 

Some people prefer to add a beaten egg at the last step of cooking Moroccan harira soup, and others like to squeeze some lemon juice to their harira bowl. In my family, we serve the soup with hard-boiled eggs chopped up. 

This recipe is one of the staples for any Moroccan cook, so take notes! 

First of all, you will need:

200-grams of red meat, cut into small cubes

½ cup of chickpeas, soaked overnight

3 tablespoon of lentils, washed and drained

¼ cup of cilantro, finely chopped¼ cup of parsley, finely chopped

2 celery sticks with a few leaves, finely chopped

4 tomatoes, boiled for 10 minutes

1 onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon of ghee or butter

50-grams of broken vermicelli

2 tablespoon of tomato paste

1 teaspoon of turmeric

1 teaspoon of salt

½ teaspoon of black pepper

½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon of ground ginger

A pinch of saffron threads

2 tablespoon of oil

200-grams of flour

2 and half liters of water

This recipe has three important steps, let’s get going with the first stage:

Heat a pressure cooker on medium heat, add oil, meat ghee, and onion. Stir and let cook for five minutes.

Now, add spices, chickpeas, lentils, cilantro and half of parsley, and 1 and ½ liters of water then cover the pot and cook for 40 minutes, or until the meat and chickpeas are tender.

Ready for step two?

Using a food processor, chop the boiled tomatoes and sift it to remove all the seeds.

Meanwhile, after 40 minutes, uncover the pot and check if the meat and chickpeas are tender.

 Add the rest of water, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and the other half of parsley and stir well.

Put the pot back on the stove and simmer for 5 minutes.

Finally:

Mix the flour with 2 cups of water using a whipper or a blender.

Add the mixture while stirring constantly so the flour does not stick to the bottom, the soup should now begin to thicken. 

Let the harira cook for another 10 minutes then add the vermicelli. Keep stirring while cooking for another 20 minutes.

Taste the harira soup and add salt if needed.

Now you’re ready to serve your soup. It tastes best accompanied by dates and some sweet Moroccan chebakia. 

Enjoy your Moroccan harira soup!