Harira (chickpea soup)

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 4 onions
• 1 can chickpeas
• 2 can/n tomatoes (Pizza tomatoes)
• 2 handfuls of lentils (dried)
• 2 handfuls of noodles (soup noodles)
• 1 bunch of parsley
• 1 bunch of mixed herbs
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 small can of tomato paste
• 3 tbsp Clarified butter (Smen)
• 1 jar flour
• 1 lemon(s)
• olive oil
• Salt
• pepper
• Ginger
• Caraway, (ground)
• 2 liters of water

Instructions

Working time approx. 25 minutes; Total time approx. 25 minutes

Ramadan soup from Morocco

Preparation (a few hours in advance): Soak the lentils in water! Put a glass of flour in a bowl, then add 1.5 glasses of water. Add the lemon juice and mix well. Let the whole thing stand, covered, for a few hours. Cooking the soup (best in a pressure cooker): First, finely chop the onions and sauté them in olive oil. Finely chop the garlic. Then add the herbs (finely chopped), parsley (finely chopped), lentils, chickpeas, and clarified butter, one after the other. Let everything cook briefly (2-3 minutes). Then add the 2 cans of tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the ginger and caraway seeds. Now add the tomato paste. Add 2 liters of water and stir everything well. Now cook under pressure in the pressure cooker for 25 minutes. After the 25 minutes are up, release the pressure and open the pot. Add the soup noodles and let it simmer gently for a few more minutes. Take the prepared flour, water, and lemon mixture and carefully pour off the water that has settled on top (note: do not stir beforehand). After draining, stir again and slowly pour it into the soup. The soup should now have the desired consistency. It should be thick. If it is too thick, simply add a little more water. Serve immediately in hot bowls. Traditionally, the soup is eaten every day during Ramadan in Morocco, as the first meal of the day. Everyone eats a date beforehand. The soup can also be made with lamb or beef, although many people do not do this.