How long does it take to make Harira?
2 cups lentils, a cup of soaked chickpeas, cubes of meat, tomatoes, celery, cilantro and parsley; cook for about an hour and a half, and at the end 150 g noodles and a few teaspoons of flour dissolved in a cup of water, another 10 minutes.
12 hr 3 minTotal
23 minActive time
11 hr 40 minSetting
Step by Step
| # | What to do | How long |
|---|
| 1 | Ahead of time, Soak the chickpeas overnight in cold water and drain | 10 hr |
| 2 | Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium heat | 3 min |
| 3 | Add the onion and fry for 8–10 minutes, stirring | 9 min |
| 4 | Add the celery and fry 5 minutes, stirring | 5 min |
| 5 | Add the chickpeas and water and bring to a boil | 5 min |
| 6 | Turn down the heat and simmer 45 minutes | 45 min |
| 7 | In a blender, blend the tomatoes, parsley, cilantro, turmeric and ginger with half a cup of boiling water | — |
| 8 | Add the mixture and the lentils to the pot. Turn down the heat and simmer 50 minutes | 50 min |
| 9 | Season with salt and black pepper, add the noodles and cook 5 minutes | 5 min |
| 10 | Serve hot, with the lemon for squeezing over each serving | 1 min |
How to Tell It's Done
- until the onion is soft and deep golden
- until the chickpeas soften
- until the lentils are soft
Tips
- Soak dried chickpeas overnight: without soaking they stay hard even after an hour of cooking.
- Soak in plenty of water, well above what's being soaked: legumes and grains swell and drink water, and whatever sticks out stays hard. Drain well before continuing.
- Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
- The noodles go in at the end and keep absorbing liquid: just a few noodles, and no more than a few minutes, or the soup turns to porridge.
Common Mistakes
- A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
More Ways
- Harira is a North African soup from Morocco and Algeria: lentils, chickpeas, tomatoes, lemon, onion, celery, cilantro and turmeric; every family adds noodles, rice or meat.
The full recipe: Harira →
Recipes with Harira
All questions
