Algerian Harira

During the month of Ramadan every evening the fast is broken with dates and water,  lben or milk or with fruit and nut drinks usually followed by a nutritious and invigorating soup such as harira.

These are the ingredients for one version of harira. There are many others. I will try to post as many as I can eat from now and through Ramadan

I won't give quantities for this recipe. You want to cook Algerian dishes, think like an Algerian. We cook intuitively and creatively with what we have. A shopping list with measured ingredients is unheard of. We go to the market or souk we buy what's available, sometimes that means just piles of onions and squash. You don't have lamb? Use a chicken. You don't have any meat? Omit it. Yes, there are versions with no meat. You don't have eggs? Omit them from the recipe.

Ingredients:

Lamb. I used the meat from the rear shank. I like the flavor and texture from the fat and collagen for this slow cooked dish. The meat from the tail is also very good for this dish. I added the bones to the soup for more flavor. You can use meat from the shoulder or leg as you prefer
Agneau

Chick peas soaked in water soaked in water overnight
Pois chiches

White beans soaked in water overnight
Haricots blancs

Green lentils soaked in water overnight
Lentilles

Carrots
Carrotes

Celery
Celeri

Onion
Oignon

Bulghur wheat

Flat leaf parsley
Persil plat

Coriander leaf
Coriandre

Tomato paste
Concentre de tomate

Eggs
Oeufs

Lemon juice
Jus de citron

Vermicelli

Salt
Sel

Black pepper
Poivre

Olive oil
Huile d'olive

Turmeric
Curcuma

Saffron
Safran

Cumin
Cumin

Coriander
Kesbar

Fennel
Fenouil

Or the spice blend of your choice.

Method:

1) Season the meat with salt and pepper. Heat some olive oil in a large stock pot over medium high heat. Add the meat and cook untill it's just starting to brown. If the meat starts to give off water, raise the heat.

2) Add the onions and cook for 10-15 minutes, stir frequently.

3) Add the tomato paste and cook for about 10 minutes. Stir constantly

4) Add 1 1/2- 2 quarts water. The more mouths you have to feed, the more water you add.

5) Add the chick peas and the spice blend of your choice, bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Some Algerians will argue that harira must have a specific set of spices, others will say no way. Cook for 1 hour. Taste for seasoning, adjust if necessary. Ask yourself what you think if anything is missing? Do you want more cumin or the heat of hot peppers? Then add them.

6) Add the white beans and bulghur and cook for 30 minutes.

7) Add the lentils, carrots and celery and cook for 30 minutes more.

8) Add the vermicelli and cook for three minutes more.

This is harira without the addition of lemon juice and eggs.

 

This is harira with lemon and eggs stirred in. I lightly whipped in the juice of two lemons into 5 eggs and added them to the soup over medium high heat while stirring constantly. I like to add the herbs at the last minute as well.

 

Algeria Algerian Cuisine Algerian Recipes Algerian Food Algerian dishes Cuisine Algerienne Recettes  Algerienne North African cuisine Maghreb Cuisine

Halal recipes Ramadan recipes Arab recipes African recipes Berber recipes Amazigh  recipes Moroccan recipes Tunisian  recipes

Comments

[marcopolo]

I read a recipe that uses bread dough? to thicken(Morrocan?) also one that marinates lamb in lemon juice over night. The latter of which made me curious enough to investigate the various preparations of this dish. This preparation seems to me to contain many ingredients. Pasta and white beans?
(spices similar toones used in Tunisia for cous cous.) Are there simpler recipes used in Algerian Harira? marco

[superfuji]

I had harira when i was in Morocco and it was a little bit different: there was rice, lamb, cick peas, lentils (no beans), coriander, parsley, saffron, ground cinnamom, ground ginger, paprika, butter and yeast. It was one of my favourite soups.

[Wandering Coyote]

Hello,

Thanks for visiting my blog, ReTorte. I apologize for the misinformation regarding the origins of Harira. It makes sense: I had it for the first time in a Moroccan restaurant. Your recipe looks very different from anything I've had. I first had this in a Moroccan restaurant in Quebec City called "au the du sahara" or something similar (I cannot remember the exact words in French). It was vegetarian and absolutely excellent.

I have a lot to learn, I know.

[Farid Zadi]

Hi Faust,

There are versions with no vermicelli. Some have rice. I've never had a version thickened with semolina couscous, but yes it is likely that a cook would do that if vermicelli or rice were not available. Also bulghur wheat is a pretty common addition, maybe that was what you had. We steam bulghur wheat like couscous too.

[faustianbargain]

my first comment here

i remember an iftar harira from very long ago. it had chickpeas and chicken. it was rather garlicky. it was thickened with eggs, i suppose and had a hint of saffron. it didnt have vermicilli, but i think there was couscous in it.