Harira

Make a warming bowl of harira, the Moroccan soup full of pulses, tomato, beef and spices. It’s hearty, satisfying and full of flavour – perfect for cold days

Recipe details

Ingredients

1. 1 tbsp olive oil
2. 300g braising beef or boneless beef, trimmed of excess fat, cut into 3cm pieces
3. 1 small onion, finely chopped
4. 1 tsp ground turmeric
5. ½ tsp ground black pepper
6. ¼ tsp ground ginger
7. 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
8. 1 tbsp tomato purée
9. pinch of saffron
10. 70g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and drained (or 140g canned chickpeas, drained)
11. 6 large tomatoes, grated or blitzed in a food processor
12. 100g celery (2 stalks), finely chopped
13. 80g dried green lentils
14. 3 tbsp cornflour or plain flour
15. 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander and lemon wedges, to serve

Directions

Step 1

Heat the olive oil in a large flameproof casserole over a medium heat. Add the meat, onion and spices with 1½ tsp salt. Leave for 5-10 mins to lightly brown the meat, stirring occasionally. Add the rest of the ingredients except the lentils, cornflour, coriander and lemon wedges. Add 1 litre of boiling water, bring to the boil, cover with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Leave to simmer for 1 hr.

Step 2

Add the lentils to the casserole, cover with a lid and cook for a further 20 mins. When the chickpeas, meat and lentils are cooked, mix the cornflour in a small bowl with 3 tbsp water, and stir until smooth. Stir the cornflour mixture into the casserole. Simmer for 5 mins until the harira thickens and takes on a velvety texture.

Step 3

Scatter over the coriander, then serve hot with lemon wedges on the side for squeezing over.

Nutrition Facts