RAMADAN 13 IFTAR MENU - HARIRA - A FAMOUS MOROCCAN SOUP

We had our 'buka puasa" in City Bay View - Penang Ramadan Buffet last night. It was a get together functions by old friends. I only prepared this Harira for our "sahur"


Harira is Morocco’s famous tomato and lentil soup. It’s fragrantly seasoned with ginger, pepper, and cinnamon, and also boasts a robust quantity of fresh herbs: cilantro, parsley, celery and onion.A one pot dish, which comprises of meat, pulses, veggies and rice, serves as a meal in itself. It’s the perfect thing to have after fasting the whole day.

I came across this recipe in 2005, when I was in Jeddah. A relative served this during our "buka puasa" and I got the recipe from a friend of mine a Moroccan married to a malaysian and reside in Sungai Petani Kedah. Mohammad gave me his family recipe on this Harira and I’ve been making it ever since.

Recipes vary greatly from one family to another. Some make the soup light in texture; others prefer a filling version with chick peas and rice or broken vermicelli. One Moroccan cook may favor more tomato; another more lentils; still another may add paprika. So there are no rules, feel free to change ingredients and proportions.


You can even add rice or pasta to the soup. Best serve with bread. 

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 300g lamb, finely chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
  1 zucchini cut into thin ring
• 2 sticks celery, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 cup cooked lentils
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• large pinch saffron strands
  3 tsp ground cumin
• 1 cup cooked chickpeas, 
  3 fresh tomatoes chopped
  1 canned soup - I used Heinz
• 2 litres stock
• 100g/3½oz vermicelli noodles - I used spaghetti
• ½ lemon, juice only
  bunch fresh coriander, chopped
• bunch fresh flatleaf parsley, chopped
  egg optional

• Preparation method

1. In a large saucepan, heat half the olive oil over a high heat and cook the steak until browned all over. Remove from the pan and set aside.
2. In the same pan, sauté the onion, celery, zucchini  and carrots until softened. Remove from the pan and set aside.
3. Heat the remaining olive oil in the pan and add the lentils,  garlic, cinnamon, saffron and cumin to the pan.
4. Add the chickpeas, tomatoes,tomato soup and stock, along with the reserved meat and vegetables, and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes.
5. Add the vermicelli and stir. After a further five minutes, add the lemon juice, coriander and parsley.
6. Serve with warm bread, a bowl of dates on the side and a little bowl of harissa.
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Semalam masih lagi di Penang. Dapat undangan buka puasa oleh teman-teman lama di Penang City Bay View Hotel, jadi saya tak masak, saya cuma buat Harira untuk sahur dan jika ada yang lapar selepas terawih nanti bolehlah layan diri.  Harira ini adalah sup yang cukup terkenal di Morocco mahupun negara-negara teluk. Cukup sinonim tak kala berbuka puasa, memang popular buka puasa menu di sana.


Saya mula menjamahnya pada tahun 2005 ketika mengerjakan umrah, kebetulan berbuka di rumah saudara di Jeddah, inilah sajian buka puasa mereka Harira dan roti Arab. Sedap rasanya macam soup tomato. Menarik resipi ini ramuan asasnya ialah kacang dal dan kacang kuda. Kedua-dua bahan ini memang wajib lain-lain bahan ikut selera masing-masing boleh guna apa jenis sayuran dan daging. Paling digemari masyarakat sana sudah tentulah daging kambing. Supaya ia agak mengenyangkan sedikit masukkan sedikit nasi atau pun pasta. Saya lebih gemar masukkan spaghetti yang direbus. Memang sedap.


Next Post - Cookie of The Day - Homemade Oreo

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