Moroccan Chorba

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Fried onion

1. 1
   Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.

   ⚙ Pan-fryingStoveLarge pot
2. 2
   Add the onion and fry 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft and translucent and starts to turn golden at the edges. If it browns too fast, lower the heat.

   ⚙ 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.
3. 3
   Add the garlic and fry 1 minute, just until fragrant. Don't let the garlic brown.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Garlic burns quickly and turns bitter. Add it only after the onion has softened, over medium heat, and add the next ingredient as soon as it smells fragrant.

To assemble

1. 4
   Add the meat and fry, breaking it up with a spoon, until it browns.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove
2. 5
   Add the turmeric, cumin and coriander seeds and stir for a minute, until fragrant.
3. 6
   Add the tomatoes and cook 5 minutes.

   Stove
4. 7
   Add the water and bring to a boil.

   Stove
5. 8
   Turn down the heat and simmer 30 minutes.

   ⚙ SimmeringStove

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
6. 9
   Add the beans and pasta and cook 10 more minutes, until the pasta is tender.

   Stove

   💡Hard vegetables (carrots, celery, potatoes) cook from the start; zucchini and pasta go in at the end so they don't fall apart.

   💡Small pasta keeps absorbing liquid even after cooking: if you're not serving right away, cook it separately and add it to each bowl.
7. 10
   Season with salt and black pepper, add the lemon juice, taste and adjust.
8. 11
   Sprinkle the cilantro on top and serve.
9. 12
   Serve hot with bread.