Moroccan Harira Soup Recipe

Ingredients

• Very finely chopped lamb shanks
• 1 large onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons large green lentils
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons parsley
• 1 cup cooked chickpeas
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons vermicelli
• A small pinch of turmeric
• A small pinch of ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• Salt + black pepper
• Small potato cubes - optional, to taste
• Lentil Soup with Chard and Lemon

Method

1. First, cut the lamb shanks into very small pieces.
2. Sauté the coarsely chopped onion and crushed garlic in a little olive oil or vegetable oil, as desired.
3. When the onion is softened, add the chopped meat and sauté well.
4. Add all the spices over the meat, onion, and garlic, and stir well until you get a strong spice flavor.
5. Add the chopped tomatoes along with some of the chopped parsley and cilantro over the meat and onion, and leave the other half of the parsley and cilantro to add later.
6. Then add the tomato paste, followed by the lentils and vermicelli, and stir the ingredients well.
7. When the meat is cooked, add the remaining ingredients, including the chickpeas and the potatoes, if using.
8. Add the water. You can use the meat cooking liquid if available, or water with a chicken bouillon cube, depending on what you have on hand.
9. Let the harira mixture simmer over low heat until the ingredients are cooked, but we do not want the chickpeas and lentils to become mashed; it is best for the ingredients to keep their texture.
10. When the harira is done, sprinkle the remaining chopped parsley and cilantro on top and serve.