Harira is a traditional soup in Morocco and comes from the Maghreb region.
Harira is traditionally a ‘meat’ soup, feel free to add chicken, lamb or beef. I am a meat eater, however, I don’t miss it in this hearty soup, perhaps because of the addition of the sautéed mushrooms? Either way, as long as the weather stays cold, I’m not giving up my SOUP!!!
Ingredients
4 Tbsp Harissa Infused Olive Oil
1 large onion, diced
3 – 4 stalks celery, sliced
3 -4 large carrots, scrubbed or peeled and sliced diagonally
2 Tbsp Sicilian Lemon White Balsamic
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 – 1 Tbsp Sinai Gourmet Jwala Hot Sauce (available in-store at SOOC), but you can use dried chili flakes or sambal oelek
2 tsp Sea Salt, or to taste
1 Cup parsley, chopped
1 Cup cilantro, chopped, plus extra for garnish
1 can tomatoes, crushed
7 Cups vegetable stock
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 Cup green lentils, inspected for stones
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
8 oz sliced white mushrooms, sautéed separately in 2 Tbsp Harissa Infused Olive Oil
2 Tbsp all-purpose unbleached flour
1 large egg; necessary for thickening
Juice of 2 lemons (about 1/4 cup)
Directions
Heat the Harissa Olive Oil, in a large stockpot over medium heat and sauté the onion, celery, and carrots until the onion turns translucent and begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the Lemon Balsamic, turmeric, cumin, hot sauce or chili flakes, sea salt, 1 cup each of the parsley and cilantro, can of tomatoes, the stock and bring to a boil.
Then reduce to a simmer, add the lentils, chickpeas, a teaspoon of pepper and continue simmering until the lentils are cooked, about 20 minutes.
Whisk the flour, egg, and lemon juice into 2 cups (470 ml) of water. Stir into the soup, also add the sautéed mushrooms at this point. Simmer the soup about 5 minutes more to thicken and serve, sprinkled with some cilantro and a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt if you like. A wedge of lemon or lime to squeeze over won’t hurt either! 😉