Authentic Moroccan Lentil Soup Recipes

MOROCCAN RED LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a hutch over or large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots and celery and sauté until tender (about 3-4 minutes). Add the garlic, coriander, cumin, turmeric, paprika, cinnamon, salt and pepper and continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes stirring the whole time.
• Add the broth, tomatoes, and lentils stir well and heat to a boil.
• Simmer uncovered on low heat for about 20-25 minutes {until the lentils are tender}, stirring occasionally.
• Remove the soup from the heat and ladle half of the soup into a large mixing bowl. Carefully blend half of the soup in a separate container with an immersion blender which is a hand blender (or use a blender) in small batches if necessary. Return the blended half of the soup back to the pot and mix well.
• Stir in the lemon juice, red pepper flakes, parsley and cilantro, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Serve hot with warm pita bread or bread of your choice. Garnish with extra parsley and cilantro if you desire.

MOROCCAN LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• Heat oil in a soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat; add onions and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add cumin, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon and pepper; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Add broth, water, cauliflower, lentils, tomatoes and tomato paste; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender but not mushy, 45 to 55 minutes. Stir in spinach and cook until wilted, 5 minutes.
• Just before serving, stir in cilantro and lemon juice.

MOROCCAN LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• In large pot saute; the onions, garlic, and ginger in a little olive oil for about 5 minutes.
• Add the water, lentils, chick peas, white kidney beans, diced tomatoes, carrots, celery, garam masala, cardamom, cayenne pepper and cumin. Bring to a boil for a few minutes then simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or longer, until the lentils are soft.
• Puree half the soup in a food processor or blender. Return the pureed soup to the pot, stir and enjoy!

MOROCCAN SPICED RED LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring, 10 minutes until softened and beginning to color. Add garlic and cook one minute to release its aroma. Add celery and cook 2 minutes until softened. Add 1 teaspoon of salt, the pepper and the turmeric, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, saffron, and bay leaf and cook 2 to 3 minutes to develop the flavor of the spices. Add tomato paste, potatoes, lentils and water and cook 45 minutes; the lentils and potatoes should be quite tender. Stir in remaining 1 teaspoon salt, wheat berries and tomatoes and heat through. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve garnished with cilantro.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly brush oil or butter on both sides of bread slices. Arrange bread in a single layer on a cookie sheet and bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool croutons on a wire rack.

MOROCCAN LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• In a large (6- to 8-quart) stockpot over medium heat, combine the butter and oil and stir until the butter has melted. Add the onions, green pepper, carrots, eggplant and garlic. Stir well. Add the cumin, curry powder, allspice, cinnamon and red pepper flakes. Saute, stirring, until the vegetables have softened, about 10 minutes.
• Add water, chicken broth, sherry, tomatoes and lentils, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, uncovered, 1 hour, or until the lentils have softened. Season with salt. To serve, garnish each bowl with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream and a sprinkling of chopped cilantro.

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.

MOROCCAN LENTIL SOUP WITH VEGGIES

Steps:

• Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook and stir carrots, onion, salt, parsley, black pepper, ginger, tarragon, and cumin in the hot oil until the onion is translucent, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Stir lentils and tomatoes into the carrot mixture. Pour vegetable broth over the vegetables, stir, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, place a cover on the pot, and simmer until the lentils are tender, 45 to 50 minutes.
• Stir spinach and zucchini into the broth mixture; simmer until the zucchini is tender, about 7 minutes more. Remove pot from heat and season soup with salt. Drizzle 1 teaspoon olive oil over the soup before serving.

TRUE MOROCCAN LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• In a large soup pot, stew pot or dutch oven cook the chick peas and white beans seperately until just tender.
• Using a smaller pot, cook the lentils for 20 minutes and drain the beans and lentils.
• In the same pot, saute the onions, garlic*, ginger, paprika and cumin approximately 5 minutes in the oil. I use the olive oil for this one as the Moroccan home cooks who I know will allow this cooking of olive oil rarely and for this recipe.
• Add the water, lentils, chick peas, white beans, tomatoes, carrots, pepper and cumin, black pepper and salt to taste. Our black pepper used in a teaspoon will impart some good spicy heat to the dish. Should your black pepper not do this then please add a bit more black pepper as we do not use cayenne here.
• Bring to a boil for a 5 minutes and simmer 3/4 covered 1 to 1 1/2 hours or longer, until the beans and lentils are soft but not mushy.
• I have seen mny similar recipes on the internet stating to puree some of the soup and return it to the pot. While this is a nice idea, most Moroccan homes do not have a blender and this soup is not intended to be made as such.
• Prep. time does not include soaking and pre-cooking the beans.
• * Omit the garlic if using for Ramadan.

MOROCCAN LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• Pick over and rinse the lentils and place them in a soup pot with the cold water.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until tender, about 20 minutes.
• While the lentils are cooking, heat the olive oil in a medium sized sauté pan and add the onion, 1/2 tsp salt, and a few pinches of cayenne.
• Cook over medium heat until the onions are soft, 7 - 8 minutes; then add the diced vegetables, another 1/2 tsp of salt, and the spices.
• Cook for 5 minutes, then stir in the garlic and ginger and cook for another minute.
• Add the vegetables and the tomatoes to the lentils and their broth. Cover and cook for 30 minutes.
• Season to taste with salt and cayenne.
• Garnish with the cilantro.