Harira (Moroccan Tomato Soup with Chickpeas, Lentils and Lamb)

Harira (حريرة) is Morocco's everyday soup: a thick tomato broth loaded with chickpeas, lentils, a little lamb and a big handful of cilantro and parsley, warmed through with ginger, turmeric, cinnamon and black pepper. It is the soup that breaks the fast during Ramadan, but in Moroccan homes it also shows up on any cool evening, and that is exactly why it belongs in your autumn rotation. One pot, mostly pantry ingredients, and a bowl that eats like a full meal.

Three things make this version work. The meat is cut small and browned first, so it flavors the broth without needing hours of cooking. The tomatoes and tomato paste are cooked down with the spices before any liquid goes in, which gives the soup its deep, brick-red color instead of a watery pink. And the final thickening, called tadouira, is a simple flour-and-water slurry whisked in at the end; it turns the broth silky and slightly glossy, which is the texture that separates real harira from ordinary lentil soup. A squeeze of lemon at the very end brightens everything.

Ingredients

For the soup

• 250 g (9 oz) boneless lamb shoulder or beef chuck, cut into 1.5 cm (1/2-inch) dice (optional; see Tips for a vegetarian swap)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion (about 200 g / 7 oz), finely chopped
• 2 celery stalks with their leaves, finely chopped
• 1 bunch cilantro (about 30 g / 1 oz), finely chopped, stems and leaves kept separate
• 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley (about 30 g / 1 oz), finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
• 400 g (14 oz) can crushed tomatoes, or 4 large ripe tomatoes, grated
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 150 g (3/4 cup) brown or green lentils, rinsed
• 400 g (14 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (about 240 g / 8.5 oz drained)
• 1.5 liters (6 cups) water or light chicken stock

To finish (tadouira)

• 50 g (1/3 cup) all-purpose flour whisked with 250 ml (1 cup) cold water
• 50 g (1.75 oz) thin vermicelli or angel hair, broken into 2 cm (3/4-inch) pieces (optional)
• Juice of 1 lemon, plus lemon wedges to serve

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the lamb and brown it for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until the pieces are colored on most sides. Lower the heat to medium, add the onion and celery, and cook for 5 minutes until soft and translucent.
2. Stir in the cilantro stems, half the parsley, the ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, black pepper and salt. Cook for 1 minute, stirring, until the spices smell toasty and coat the onion.
3. Add the crushed tomatoes and tomato paste. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring often, until the mixture thickens, darkens to brick red and the oil starts to separate at the edges.
4. Add the lentils, chickpeas and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 40 minutes, until the lentils are tender and the meat is soft. Skim any foam in the first 10 minutes.
5. While the soup simmers, whisk the flour with the cold water in a bowl or jar until completely smooth. If you see lumps, pass it through a fine sieve. Let it sit; give it another stir right before using.
6. Uncover the pot and raise the heat to medium so the soup bubbles gently. Pour in the slurry in a slow, thin stream while stirring constantly. Keep stirring for 10 minutes as the soup thickens to a velvety texture that coats the back of a spoon. Scrape the bottom often so nothing catches.
7. Add the vermicelli, if using, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until tender. If the soup is thicker than you like, loosen it with 100 to 200 ml (1/2 to 3/4 cup) of hot water; harira should be thick but still pourable.
8. Turn off the heat. Stir in the lemon juice, the cilantro leaves and the remaining parsley. Taste and add more salt or pepper. Let it rest for 5 minutes, then serve hot with lemon wedges on the side.

Tips

• Vegetarian harira: leave out the lamb, add a second can of chickpeas or another 75 g (1/3 cup) of lentils, and use vegetable stock. Brown the onion a little longer to build flavor. It is the way many Moroccan families make it on regular weeknights anyway.
• The tadouira only lumps if it goes in fast or into a soup that is not moving. Pour slowly, stir the whole time, and keep the heat at a gentle bubble. Some cooks stir in 1 or 2 tablespoons of the warm soup into the slurry first to temper it, which also helps.
• Make-ahead and storage: harira gets better overnight. Keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months, ideally without the vermicelli, which goes soft. Reheat gently with a splash of water, since it thickens as it stands, and add fresh lemon and herbs at the end.
• What to serve with it: the classic pairing is dates and a sweet sesame pastry like chebakia, plus crusty bread or Moroccan khobz for dipping. Hard-boiled eggs sprinkled with cumin and salt on the side turn it into a full dinner.
• Using fresh tomatoes: cut 4 large ripe tomatoes in half, grate them on a box grater and discard the skins. Cook the pulp down for an extra 3 to 4 minutes in step 3 so the soup does not taste raw.
• If you like heat, add 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne with the spices or serve with a spoonful of harissa. A pinch of saffron threads soaked in 2 tablespoons of warm water, added with the stock, is a lovely upgrade for guests.

Nutrition

Nutrition information is an estimate only: about 320 kcal, 18 g protein, 9 g fat, 42 g carbohydrate per serving (with lamb and vermicelli).