Algeria | Soup

Chorba Frik

Name: Chorba Frik
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 70 min
Total time: 90 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Algeria, North Africa
Ingredients: 600 g lamb shoulder, cut into small pieces; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 large onion, finely chopped; 2 stalks celery, finely chopped; 4 medium tomatoes, grated; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 1 cup cooked chickpeas; ¾ cup frik, rinsed; 1 tsp paprika; ½ tsp black pepper; ½ cup cilantro and mint, chopped; 1 whole lemon, cut into wedges

Algerian tomato, lamb, chickpea, herb, and cracked green wheat soup traditionally served to open Ramadan meals.

Country

Algeria

Region

North Africa

Time

90 min

Serves

Level

medium

Explore Algeria recipes Browse AfroKitchen

Recipe overview

What to know before you cook

Chorba frik is the Algerian bowl many families wait for at iftar: lamb, tomato, chickpeas, cilantro, mint, and smoky cracked green wheat cooked into a soup that is hearty but still bright.

What the dish tastes like

Algerian tomato, lamb, chickpea, herb, and cracked green wheat soup traditionally served to open Ramadan meals.

When to cook it

Best for Best for Ramadan iftar, cold evenings, and first-course soup service., with a medium cooking level and about 90 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

Lemon wedges, bourek, dates, and mint tea.

Regional lane

Algeria national table. A verified Algeria dish in the AfroKitchen archive.

Chef watch-outs

Stopping the base before the pepper, onion, or spice edge has mellowed.
Thinning the pot before the body of the soup or stew has developed.
Rushing the base before the raw edge has cooked out.

How you know it is ready

The sauce should coat the spoon and taste rounded, not watery or raw.
The aroma should smell rounded rather than raw or sharp.
Oil, sauce, broth, or steam should look settled and deliberate.

Chef board

Build the table around Chorba Frik

Lemon wedges, bourek, dates, and mint tea.

Best route from here

Algeria national table

Collections to keep cooking

Swallow and Soup Table

Servings 6

Scale the dish before you shop, then use the checklist while you cook.

Ingredients

For 6 servings

Soup

How to cook it

Step-by-step method

Keep the rhythm calm, watch the texture, and adjust seasoning at the end.

Back to Algeria

4 steps 90 min total medium

Brown the meat

Cook lamb, onion, and celery in oil until the meat loses its raw color and the onion softens.

brown 12:00

Make the red broth

Add tomatoes, tomato paste, paprika, pepper, salt, chickpeas, and water, then simmer until the lamb is tender.

simmer 40:00

Add frik

Stir in rinsed frik and simmer gently, stirring often so the cracked wheat does not catch.

frik cook 18:00

Finish fresh

Fold in cilantro and mint, rest briefly, and serve with lemon.

finish 05:00

Some homes use chicken, others lamb or beef. The frik can be coarse or fine, and the herb balance shifts by region.

Chorba Frik

What to know before you cook

Build the table around Chorba Frik

Step-by-step method

More AfroKitchen dishes from the same food atlas

Couscous Royal

Chakhchoukha

Dobara Biskra

Makroud