Harira

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Fried onion

1. 1
   Ahead of time, Soak the chickpeas overnight in cold water and drain.

   ⚙ SoakingBowl

   💡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.
2. 2
   Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium heat.

   ⚙ Pan-fryingStovePot
3. 3
   Add the onion and fry for 8–10 minutes, stirring, until the onion is soft and deep golden.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡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.

To assemble

1. 4
   Add the celery and fry 5 minutes, stirring.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove
2. 5
   Add the chickpeas and water and bring to a boil.

   Stove
3. 6
   Turn down the heat and simmer 45 minutes, until the chickpeas soften.

   ⚙ SimmeringStove

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
4. 7
   In a blender, blend the tomatoes, parsley, cilantro, turmeric and ginger with half a cup of boiling water.

   Blender
5. 8
   Add the mixture and the lentils to the pot. Turn down the heat and simmer 50 minutes, until the lentils are soft.

   ⚙ SimmeringStovePot
6. 9
   Season with salt and black pepper, add the noodles and cook 5 minutes.

   Stove

   💡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.
7. 10
   Serve hot, with the lemon for squeezing over each serving.