Recently the warm and comforting Moroccan Harira soup has taken centre stage.
It seems, wherever you go, all places are offering Harira. Right enough, it is a seriously good soup! Harira is a gem in the Moroccan cuisine that is an old Ramadan Tradition. Nowadays, it swept through the region, claiming its rightful place at the top, right next to the popular red lentil soup. Like Lentil soup, Harira includes lentils cooked in chicken or meat broth, however, less of a purist fashion in comparison to the red lentil soup, Harira also includes chickpeas, fried onions, rice and tomatoes along with an array of Moroccan aromatics as is usually the case with North African cuisine. As such, it is a very interesting and delicious soup that’s become the “It” soup which you have got to make and serve, especially during the Holy month of Ramadan.
There are many variations to the recipe, some make it with finely chopped lamb pieces, others keep it vegetarian. Some add celery, leeks and other vegetables, some keep it simple. I have played around a bit with this soup until I reached the recipe I love the most (keeping with the authenticity of the original): this recipe. It is delicious and best of all it is an excellent vegetarian option for the days when you are meatless or wish to consume less meats in general. All you need to do is use vegetable broth. I know you will love this one, but why not take the time and experiment with it to come up with your version of this Ramadan classic?