Harira - A Traditional Moroccan Soup served usually during the month of Ramadan to break the fasting day and its considered as a meal itself..This soup also been served while grand ceremonies like marriage, it can be prepared anytime but some moroccan peoples sticks to the tradition and serve it on special occasions...Usually this harira will be prepared either with beef, mutton or with chicken chunks,this famous traditional moroccan soup can also prepared without meat..My version of Harira is without meat and this delicious soup tastes marvellous, really nutrtious, fulfilling and suits prefect for dinner..This flavourful soups goes for veggies, chickpeas, lentils, rice or any sort of pastas with some spices which enhance the flavour of this yummy and really filling soup..I choosed small pastas to prepare this soup while some goes for vermicellis or either with rice.
Cooking time goes for more than an hour, the aroma and the taste of this soup make you crave for more... am damn sure that this moroccan soup will take a better place in your menu if you try once.This harira is quite simple to prepare if u want more for veggies u can either go for turnips, bellpeppers, zucchini chunks, or u can add more spices like saffran,harissa (red chillies paste)..U can either increase the veggies, spices, nuts or dry fruits as per need to give more richness to this delicious soup, mine is a simple and very common way of preparing this traditional moroccan soup...
2nos Tomatoes (big) - peeled and pureed
1no Onion(chopped)
1/3cup Coriander leaves (chopped)
1/3cup Parsley(chopped)
1no Celery stick(chopped)
2tbsp Tomato paste
2tbsp Butter/Olive oil
Salt
1/2tsp Pepper powder
1tsp Ginger powder
1 can Chickpeas (or 1 cup of dry chickpeas soaked in water over night)
1/2cup Lentils (soaked in water for 1 hour)
1/3cup Vermicelli /Rice /Pasta
1/3cup Flour
2 liters Water
Add the tomato puree, onion, cilantro, parsley, celery, butter, salt, pepper, ginger powder, lentils, and water in your cooking pan. Cover the cooking pan and let all the ingredients cook for 45 minutes on medium heat. Stir them occasionally.
If you are using dry chickpeas, add them to the other ingredients else if you are using canned chickpeas,keep aside coz we need to add them towards the end..After 45 minutes, add the canned chickpeas and the tomato paste.
Make a thin paste with the flour and some water and slowly pour the flour mixture to the harira while stirring. Add the pasta or vermicelli. Cover and let the harira cook for another 10 minutes.
You can serve the harira with dates.
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