How to Make Harira Soup

Ingredients

• 1 ounce ground meat
• 3/4 cup lentils
• 1 cup cooked chickpeas
• 1/4 cup vermicelli
• about 1 1/2 liters water
• 1 large onion
• 1 celery stalk
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 grated tomatoes
• olive oil
• 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• a few cherry tomatoes or 1 small tomato, chopped
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• a pinch of saffron powder / 1 tbsp ground cumin / 1 tbsp dried coriander / a pinch of hot pepper
• black pepper
• 1 chicken bouillon cube
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 1/2 tbsp flour
• small cup of water to dissolve the flour

Method

1. Put a little olive oil in a pot over the heat,
2. Roll the ground meat into walnut-sized balls, coat them lightly with flour and brown them in the oil over low heat until golden. Remove and set aside
3. In the same pot, sauté the onion with the chopped celery, then add cumin, fresh cilantro, ground saffron, dried coriander, ginger, and the bouillon cube, followed by the crushed tomatoes
4. Stir the ingredients until the mixture softens, then add the chopped tomato, the lentils, and water. Bring to a boil, cover the pot and reduce the heat for about 20 minutes...
   Timers: 20 min
5. ..
6. A little before the lentils are done, add the cooked chickpeas, vermicelli, meatballs, and two tablespoons of tomato paste... Leave the mixture over low heat until the lentils are fully cooked
7. Dissolve one tablespoon of flour in a little water and gradually add it to the soup while stirring
8. Add half a cup of chopped parsley and lemon juice, then turn off the heat.