Harira — Moroccan Tomato, Lentil and Chickpea Soup
The soup that breaks the fast in Ramadan: tomato, lentils, chickpeas and lamb, thickened with a flour and water tedouira and finished with coriander.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 30 min
- Total
- 1 hr 55 min
- Serves
- 8
- Difficulty
- Medium
Harira is the smell of Ramadan evenings in Morocco. It appears at sunset next to dates and chebakia, and for the rest of the year it turns up whenever the weather does something unpleasant.
What makes it harira rather than a generic lentil soup is the tedouira — a thin slurry of flour and water whisked in at the end. It gives the soup its characteristic velvety body without cream or blending, and it needs a few minutes of patient stirring to avoid lumps.
The recipe below makes a large pot on purpose. Harira keeps for three days in the fridge and the flavour settles into itself overnight.
Ingredients
Makes 8 servings
For the soup
For the tedouira (thickener)
To serve
Instructions
Sweat the base
Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add the meat, onion and celery with the ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, pepper and saffron. Cook over a medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring, until the onion has softened and the spices smell toasted.
Add tomatoes and lentils
Stir in the grated tomato, tomato purée, lentils and half the chopped herbs. Cook for 5 minutes, then pour in the water. Bring to a simmer, cover partly and cook for 45 minutes, until the lentils are soft and the meat gives easily.
Add the chickpeas
Stir in the chickpeas and the remaining herbs. Season with salt and simmer for another 10 minutes.
Make the tedouira
Whisk the flour into the cold water until completely smooth — any lumps here will survive into the soup. Let it stand for a minute, then whisk again.
Thicken the soup
Bring the soup to a gentle boil. Pour the tedouira in a thin, steady stream with one hand while stirring continuously with the other. Keep stirring for 5 minutes as it comes back to the boil, then simmer gently for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring often, until the soup is velvety and no longer tastes of raw flour.
Rest and serve
Take it off the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes — harira thickens as it rests. Check the seasoning, ladle into bowls and serve with lemon wedges.
Cook’s notes
- For a vegetarian harira, leave out the meat and add 100 g of small brown lentils extra. The tedouira gives it all the body it needs.
- Some families add a handful of broken vermicelli or rice in the last 10 minutes. Add one or the other, not both.
- The soup thickens considerably overnight. Loosen it with a little water when reheating and taste for salt again.
Recipe information
- Prep time
- 25 min
- Cook time
- 1 hr 30 min
- Total time
- 1 hr 55 min
- Servings
- 8
- Calories
- 310 kcal per serving
- Cuisine
- Moroccan
- Course
- Soup
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Keywords
- harira, moroccan harira soup, ramadan soup recipe, moroccan lentil chickpea soup
Nutrition is an estimate per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Values vary with brands, cuts and portion size.
Frequently asked questions
What is the tedouira in harira?
Can harira be made in advance?
Is harira gluten free?
What is harira served with?
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