Fassi Harira
Ingredients
For the Soup
- 250 g lamb, cut into small dice stewing cut or shoulder recommended
- 250 g chickpeas, soaked overnight or use canned chickpeas — add later in cooking
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp smen (traditional) substitute 1 tbsp vegetable oil + 1 tbsp margarine or butter
- 100 g lentils (brown or red)
- 1 bunch coriander (about 50 g)
- 1 bunch parsley (about 50 g)
- 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
- 300 g juicy tomatoes or 1 can tomatoes, puréed
- 150 g tomato concentrate or tomato paste
- 50 g flour for slurry
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 cube poultry cube or 1–2 tsp bouillon powder
- Salt to taste
- 1 pinch saffron or 1/4 tsp turmeric as an economical swap
- 50 g rice
- 100 g "langues d'oiseaux" pasta or a handful of vermicelli
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
Preparation
- Chop the onion, parsley, coriander, and celery finely. Puree or finely chop tomatoes; if using fresh, blanch, peel, and seed them first.
Cooking
- Heat the smen (or oil + margarine) in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the diced lamb and brown on all sides.
- Add the chopped onion, parsley, coriander, and celery. Cook until the onion softens and the herbs wilt, about 3–4 minutes.
- Stir in the spices: ginger, cinnamon, saffron (or turmeric), salt, and black pepper. Crumble in the poultry cube and stir to dissolve.
- Add soaked chickpeas (if using dried) or set aside canned chickpeas to add later. Pour in about 2 liters of water and bring to a simmer. Cook covered for 30 minutes to tenderize the lamb and rehydrate chickpeas.
- Add lentils and the pureed tomatoes. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
- In a bowl, whisk the flour into cold water until smooth to make a slurry. Dilute the tomato concentrate in a little water too.
- Gradually pour both the flour slurry and diluted concentrate into the soup while stirring constantly. Continue stirring and simmer for 10 minutes until the soup thickens slightly.
- Add the rice and the small pasta (vermicelli or langues d'oiseaux) by sprinkling them in. Cook uncovered, stirring regularly, for about 15 minutes or until rice and pasta are tender.
- If you used canned chickpeas, stir them in now and heat through for a few minutes. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Finish with a squeeze of lemon (optional) and a sprinkle of fresh herbs.
Notes
For a richer broth, leave bone-in lamb; remove bones before serving. If using canned chickpeas, drain and rinse and add them near the end to avoid overcooking.