Harira

Name: Harira
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Moroccan
Ingredients: 1 large onion, finely chopped; 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 3 celery sticks, finely chopped; a pinch of saffron strands; 350 g neck of lamb in 3 or 4 pieces, or shank; 350 g neck of lamb in 3 or 4 pieces, or shank; 2 litres cold water; 2 large bunches fresh coriander, washed and chopped; 100 g small green lentils; 120 g chana dhal (small, split and skinned chickpeas); 120 g chana dhal (small, split and skinned chickpeas); ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon; ½ teaspoon turmeric; ¾ teaspoon ground ginger; nutmeg (5 grates on a fine grater); 50 g unsalted butter (optional); juice of 1 lemon; sea salt and black pepper; 1 lemon, quartered; 3 rounded dessertspoons plain flour or fine semolina flour, slaked in 50 ml water; 1 dessertspoon tomato purée; 3 rounded dessertspoons plain flour or fine semolina flour, slaked in 50 ml water; 3 rounded dessertspoons plain flour or fine semolina flour, slaked in 50 ml water; sea salt and black pepper

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Moro

By Samantha Clark and Samuel Clark

Published 2001

About

We always imagine the name of this soup being spoken with a guttural Islamic tongue, and being eaten without ceremony at the edge of a busy bus station somewhere in Morocco. The flavours of the spices and coriander are very evocative, and only the bus fumes are missing. On reflection the best hariras we have tasted have had a slightly sour taste, given either by slightly fermented flour or lemon juice.

Ingredients

Africa
Morocco
Mediterranean
Soup

Ingredients

Method