Harira (Moroccan Lamb, Chickpea & Lentil Soup)
A hearty Moroccan soup that serves as a whole meal: slow-simmered lamb with chickpeas, lentils, tomatoes and a fresh herb purée, thickened with a flour slurry and brightened with lemon.
2 hr
start to finish
30 min
hands on
Some skill
difficulty
6
servings
Ingredients
Main
Herb purée
Thickener & finish
Contains gluten, egg. Cooking for an allergy? Check the label on every packet you use — brands differ, and we can only tell you what the recipe calls for.
Roughly, per serving
480 kcal30g protein52g carbs14g fat
An estimate, not a lab analysis.
Method
Place dried chickpeas in a large bowl and cover with cool water by 3 inches; soak 8–12 hours.
If using canned chickpeas, skip this step and use step 3 to drain and rinse two 15 oz cans.
If using canned chickpeas, rinse and drain two 15 oz cans and set aside.
Heat olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat until shimmering.
Working in batches, brown the lamb pieces in the hot oil until well colored on all sides, 6–8 minutes per batch; transfer browned lamb to a plate.
Return all lamb to the pot, add the chopped onions, diced carrots and half the diced celery, and sweat over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add 2 cloves of the minced garlic (from the divided garlic) and the grated ginger, plus the cinnamon, cumin, smoked paprika, black pepper and 1 tsp of the salt; stir and cook until fragrant, 1–2 minutes.
Stir in the crushed tomatoes and cook, stirring, until the mixture darkens slightly and loses its raw tomato smell, about 4–5 minutes.
Pour in the stock, add soaked (or canned) chickpeas and the rinsed lentils, and bring the pot to a gentle boil.
Skim any foam from the surface, reduce heat to low, cover partially and simmer gently until chickpeas are tender and lamb is fork-tender, about 60 minutes.
While the soup simmers, make the herb purée: combine cilantro, parsley, remaining garlic cloves, the remaining diced celery and 1/2 cup water in a blender or food processor and pulse to a coarse, bright green purée.
Stir the herb purée into the pot and simmer uncovered for another 20 minutes to meld flavors.
Whisk the flour with 3/4 cup cold water in a small bowl until completely smooth to make a slurry.
Slowly whisk the slurry into the simmering soup in a steady stream, then simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the soup thickens slightly, about 8–10 minutes.
Stir in the lemon juice, taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper if needed.
Optional: If making egg ribbons, beat the eggs with 2 tbsp water; with the soup at a gentle simmer, slowly drizzle the beaten egg into the pot while stirring to create thin ribbons, 1–2 minutes.
Remove the pot from the heat and let the soup rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Ladle into bowls and serve with lemon wedges and warm flatbread or crusty bread.
Worth knowing
- Soak dried chickpeas overnight for best texture; if short on time use two cans (15 oz each) of chickpeas.
- If the soup becomes too thick after resting, stir in a little hot water or extra stock to reach desired consistency.
- For a vegetarian version, omit the lamb and use vegetable stock; increase lentils to 1 cup for body and add a pinch of smoked paprika for depth.
- To save time, brown the lamb and then finish the soup in a slow cooker: transfer everything to the slow cooker and cook on low 6–8 hours, then add the herb purée and slurry toward the end.
Make it yours
Cooking without dairy, without an oven, for someone who won't touch chilli, or for six instead of four? Have the recipe rewritten around it — quantities, steps and all.
Meal prepBudgetOne pan
Watch someone make it
A different recipe for the same dish, by a cook who has spent years on it.
More Moroccan cooking
An original Restaurant Pro recipe — our own composition in the idiom of Moroccan cooking, not any restaurant's recipe.