Morocco | Soup

Harira

Moroccan harira, a Ramadan tomato soup with lamb, chickpeas, lentils, celery, herbs, vermicelli, and lemon.

Country
Morocco
Region
North Africa
Time
100 min
Serves
8
Level
easy
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Recipe overview

What to know before you cook

Use this overview to check the occasion, serving ideas, regional context, and cooking commitment before you begin.

When to cook it

Best for Ramadan iftar. Plan on a easy cook and about 100 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

Dates, lemon wedges, chebakia, hard-boiled eggs, or crusty bread

Regional lane

Soups, salads, and dips. Harira, fava bean soup, cooked salads, and vegetable sides for bread-led meals.

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.
Pantry lane

preserved lemon, green olives, saffron, ras el hanout, semolina

Recipe photos

See the dish before you cook

Each recipe supports one main image and up to four extra prep, serving, or step photos when they are available.

Harira recipe from Morocco
Harira finished dish
Chef board

Build the table around Harira

Dates, lemon wedges, chebakia, hard-boiled eggs, or crusty bread

Best route from here

Soups, salads, and dips

Collections to keep cooking
Moroccan Salads, Soups, and Breads
Servings 8

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

How to cook it

Step-by-step method

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

Back to Morocco
5 steps 25 min prep 75 min cook 100 min total easy
1
Brown base
Heat oil and brown meat if using. Add onion and celery and cook until soft.
Cook base 08:00
2
Spice tomatoes
Add ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, pepper, tomatoes, cilantro, and parsley. Cook until fragrant.
Cook tomatoes 06:00
3
Simmer legumes
Add chickpeas, lentils, and water or stock. Simmer until the chickpeas and lentils are tender.
Simmer soup 55:00
4
Add noodles
Stir in vermicelli and cook until tender.
Cook vermicelli 07:00
5
Thicken and brighten
Whisk in the flour slurry gradually and simmer until silky. Finish with lemon juice and adjust salt.
Thicken harira 10:00

Every household has small variations. Start here, then adjust seasoning, heat, and serving sides to your kitchen.

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Cook around Harira

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