Moroccan Harira Bean Soup Recipes

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.

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 SOUP

Steps:

• Put olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened and lightly colored, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in garlic, ginger, pepper, turmeric, cumin, cayenne, saffron and cinnamon. Cook for about 2 minutes more.
• Add tomato, celery leaves and cilantro and bring to a brisk simmer. Cook, stirring, about 5 minutes, until mixture thickens somewhat, then add 1 teaspoon salt, the brown lentils, red lentils and dried favas. Add 8 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer, covered with the lid ajar.
• Let soup simmer for 30 minutes, then taste broth and adjust salt. Cook for 1 hour more at a gentle simmer, until the legumes are soft and creamy. It may be necessary to add more liquid from time to time to keep soup from being too porridge-like. It should be on the thick side, but with a pourable consistency. (With every addition of water, taste and adjust for salt.)
• Just before serving, add pasta and let cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Ladle soup into small bowls and pass lemon wedges for squeezing.

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.

CLASSIC MOROCCAN HARIRA: TOMATO, LENTIL, AND CHICKPEA SOUP

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Heat up the cooking oil in a 6-quart or larger pressure cooker. Add the meat.
• Cook for a few minutes, stirring to brown all sides.
• Add the pureed tomatoes, kosher salt, turmeric, parsley, cilantro, celery, pepper, cinnamon, ginger, onion, chickpeas, and smen (if using). Stir and add 3 cups of the water.
• Cover tightly and heat over high heat until pressure is achieved. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and release the pressure.
• Add the lentils, tomato paste mixture, and the remaining 8 cups (2 quarts) of water. If at any point there's an oily surface forming on top of the soup, simply skim it off and discard. This can happen because of the meat's fat, if left on.
• Have the rice or vermicelli at hand, if using, but don't add yet.
• Cover the pot and heat the soup over high heat until pressure is achieved. Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking. If adding rice, cook the soup on pressure for 30 minutes. Release the pressure and add the rice. Cover and cook with pressure for an additional 15 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if desired. If using vermicelli, cook the soup on pressure for 45 minutes. Release the pressure, and add the vermicelli. Simmer the soup, uncovered, for 5 to 10 minutes or until the vermicelli is plump and cooked. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if desired.
• While the soup is cooking, make a soup thickener by mixing together the flour and water.
• Mix well, but if the mixture is not smooth, pass it through a sieve to remove lumps.
• Bring the soup to a full simmer. Slowly, and in a thin stream, pour in 1/4 of the flour mixture. Stir constantly and keep the soup simmering so the flour doesn't stick to the bottom or cooks up in lumps.
• Add another 1/4 of the flour thickener. You will notice the soup beginning to thicken when you've used approximately half the flour mixture. The thickness of harira is up to you.
• Simmer the thickened soup, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 10 minutes to cook off the taste of the flour. Remove the soup from the heat, serve, and garnish with some chopped parsley. Enjoy.

HAJAR'S OWN HARIRA -- THE NATIONAL SOUP OF MOROCCO

Steps:

• Rinse and pick over fava beans if you can't get these then use dried broad/lima/butter beans and chickpeas. Soak overnight in water to cover. Quick soak method; place beans in large soup pot and add 2 litres hot water. Bring water to a rolling boil for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and soak beans for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Squeeze each fava bean and chickpea between your thumb and first two fingers to remove skins. Set aside.
• In large soup pot over medium heat, cook the onions and meat (chicken can be used as well as beef or no meat at all though NEVER pork) stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and translucent.
• Add turmeric, ginger, paprika and 2 litres water. Cover and bring to rolling boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, add fava beans, chickpeas and cook, covered, until beans are tender. 1 to 1 1/2 hours depending on your beans.
• Finely chop together tomatoes, parsley and cilantro. Add this mixture along with the tomato paste, the lentils, pepper, juice of the lemon and drop in 1/2 of the squeezed lemon and salt to taste. Cover and cook until lentils are tender 20 to 25 minutes.
• Bring back to the boil and make a fairly thick slurry (flour and water) with the 1/2 cup of flour. Add this to the boiling soup stirring very briskly to avoid lumps. Boil one minute stirring constantly. Add nutmeg and caraway. Bring the soup to medium heat, you just want a nice slow bubbling.
• Add pasta (orzo or small soup pasta can be used as well though I always prefer vermicelli) and cook until soft. Taste and add salt to taste and adjust pepper. When soup is heated through, ladle harira into individual soup bowls. Serve immediately with lemon wedges, Moroccan flat bread ("My Rough Khoubz works well) or crusty french baguette. This soup should be velvety, not overly thick.
• Prep time does not include soaking the beans.
• NB: Harira is eaten all year, not only at Ramadan. In Morocco the nutmeg is ground to a powder which is darker and very pungent. If you cannot find or do your nutmeg this way, then I recommend that you purchase the freshest nutmeg that you can find.

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.