Harira Soup with Plenty of Chickpeas and Lentils

Okay, don't kill me yet.

Turns out this wonderful traditional soup has a million versions, and from the research I've done, everyone swears their recipe is THE original one.

I can already see the comments: "My mom makes it without noodles," "What do tomatoes have to do with it?!" "You didn't add chard?!"

So, I don't have a Moroccan mother, and I didn't eat this soup as a child, but eating this amazing soup now makes me wish I did.

Anyway, I discovered that Harira in Moroccan means "silk," because it's a soft and caressing soup, just like silk fabric.

So here is my version of a soft, pleasant, and caressing silk soup.

The secret to the perfect texture is the very thin noodles I added to the soup; due to their high starch content, they create a wonderful and delicious texture.

This soup is a complete meal in itself, containing a good amount of protein, dietary fiber, carbohydrates, and fats. Everything you need in one bowl.

Another soup recipe with chickpeas? 

A Bit About Harira Soup

• The base of the soup is red lentils and chickpeas that cook together for a long time, giving the soup its deep and rich flavor.

You can replace the red lentils with green, brown, yellow, or any other lentils you like.

• I used dry chickpeas that I soaked overnight before cooking.
• If you're short on time, you can use frozen or canned chickpeas.
• To make this soup truly perfect, I used a large handful of very thin noodles (vermicelli) that cook with the soup until they become "mushy-mushy" and integrated.
• You can add the noodles toward the end of the cooking process if you prefer a less soft texture.
• If you want a gluten-free version, you can swap the noodles for rice noodles, pearl barley, or lentil pasta.
• All the spices in the recipe, like the tomatoes and herbs, provide the depth of flavor. Don't like one of them? Feel free to change it as you wish.

Nutritional Values for Harira Soup

One bowl out of 7 (weighing approximately 500g, depending on the remaining liquid in the pot) contains:

• 254 calories
• 12g protein
• 39g carbohydrates
• 6g fat

Print

Harira Soup

Prep time 5 minutes

Cook time 1 hour

Servings 7 servings

Calories 254 kcal

Ingredients

• 1.5 tbsp Olive oil
• 1 cup Dry chickpeas, soaked in water for about 8 hours
• 1 cup Uncooked red lentils
• 1 clove Garlic, sliced
• 3 tomatoes Grated
• 1 tsp Curry powder or Hawayij for soup (or any soup spice blend)
• 1 level tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Turmeric
• 1 tsp Sweet paprika
• 1 tsp Baking soda
• 1 handful Thin noodles (vermicelli) 100g
• 1 bunch Cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1 bunch Parsley leaves, chopped
• 3 stalks Celery
• 1 Juice from half a lemon
• 2 liters Water

Instructions

1. In a large, deep pot, heat the oil.

2. Add the dry spices and salt and stir.

3. Fry the spices for about a minute on low heat, then add the garlic slices and stir.

4. Drain the chickpeas from their soaking water and add them to the pot along with the cup of lentils.

5. Mix well until all the chickpeas and lentils are coated in oil and spices.

6. Add the tomatoes, noodles, cilantro, and parsley and mix well.

7. Add water and the baking soda and bring to a boil.

8. Cover and cook on low heat for about an hour.

9. Before serving, squeeze in the lemon juice, stir, and serve hot.