Harira Soup Recipe
For my anonymous friends
Hi, I was raised in a family that ate the same food for years… but good food.
It is just that my mother, a great cook who was born in Hungary refused to cook like a Hungarian, using spicy food with lots of paprika. That is probably the reason for my desire for hot spicy food…
Unfortunately, I didn't have 'Grandma Aziza' to teach me how to cook spicy food. So, along the way, I collected great recipes for busy-lazy people.
I hope you will like my recipes as much as my family and I do.
Harira – It's a traditional North African soup mostly prepared during Ramadan as a meal to break the fast. This lentil and tomato soup is so hearty that I have survived most of my lunches just on this soup. It's protein rich and keeps you full all day long. It's immensely simple to make and always gets lots of compliments from your guests…. I have tried quite a few variations of this soup and finally have come to like this version best.
So, what do you need?
· 3/4 cup green lentils
· 1/4 cup red lentils
· 1 celery root (celeriac), chopped
· 1 green hot pepper, chopped (size to taste)
· 2 large tomatoes, chopped
· 2 cloves garlic, crushed
· 6-7 cups chicken soup ( Or - boiling water + chicken powder to taste)
· Generous sprigs of coriander/cilantro – I'm using whole bunch…
· Salt to taste (be carefull if you use the chicken powder))
· 1 tsp Paprika (dedicated for my mother…)
· 1 tsp "curcum" – ( ground turmeric)
· juice from 1 lemon
1. wash and rinse lentils, then soak in plenty of water for 30 minutes, then strain.
2. stir the onion with olive oil until transparent. Try not burn.. :-)
3. Add and stir the celery, green pepper and garlic for another 4 minutes
4. Add the lentils for another 2 minutes
5. Add the tomatoes for another 5 minutes until tender
6. Add the chicken soup + black pepper + Salt + paprika and 'Kurkum".
7. After boiling add the coriander, reduce the heat and cover for an hour or more until the
lentils are really soft and tender. I "forget" it for a couple of hours on low heat….
Served hot with garnished coriander and lemon juice
Bon Appetite and B'teavon!
Please let me know what you think. My e-mail address is programs@chicago.mfa.gov.il and how about sending me your family recipes with the stories behind them… would love to publish them.
Lehitraot.
Yours, Nitza Gilad