Harira (Moroccan Soup)

Recipe by Samantha of @SRChamkha

Ingredients:

• Celery, 5 stalks

• Parsley, 1 bundle

• Cilantro, 1 bundle

• Onion, 2 small or 1 large

• Red Tomato, 4-5 medium

• Tomato paste, 1/2 can

• Meat (usually beef)

• Chickpeas (presoaked), 2 cups

• Ground ginger, 1 1/2 tsp

• Turmeric, 3/4 tsp

• Cinnamon, 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon or 1/4 cinnamon stick

• Black Pepper, 1/2 tsp

• Salt, 1 1/2 tsp (add more to taste at end)

• Green lentils, 1 cup

• Ghee butter, 3 Tbsp

• Vegetable oil, 2-3 Tbsp

• Flour, ½ cup

• Vermicelli Noodles, 1 1/2 cups

Instructions:

1. Wash all herbs. Cut off stems of parsley & cilantro.

2. Chop celery and onion.

3. Blend about 1 cup of water, onion, and herbs (parsley+cilantro+celery) in food processor or blender.

4. Add blended ingredients to pot and turn on medium-high heat.

5. Cut meat into small pieces.

6. Add celery, onion, meat and chickpeas to pot.

7. Add 3 Tbsp ghee butter and 2-3 Tbsp of vegetable oil to pot.

8. Add 1½ tsp ground ginger, ¾ tsp turmeric, ⅛ tsp ground cinnamon or (¼ cinnamon stick), ½ tsp black pepper, 1½ tsp salt (add more to taste at end)

9. Cook until meat and chickpeas are almost tender (~30 minutes)

10. Using a food processor or a blender, grind tomatoes + tomato paste. Add to pot.

11. Add lentils

12. Cook for another 10 minutes.

13. Add noodles.

14. Add flour to 1 cup water of warm water. Remove any flour clump that appear on top. Add flour mixture slowly to soup...constantly stirring. Stop when soup reaches your desired thickness. Create another flour-water blend if thicker soup is desired.

15. Cook until noodles are done...about 5 minutes.

Recipe by Samantha of @SRChamkha