Moroccan Harira Ramadan soup

Moroccan Harira, Ramadan Soup

Harira or hrira (الحريرة المغربية) is an emblematic soup of Moroccan cuisine, particularly prized throughout the year as a starter, but especially essential during the Iftar during the month of Ramadan. A true star of the Ramadan table, it is one of the first recipes my mother taught me, testifying to its importance in Moroccan culinary tradition.

This comforting soup is also served for breakfast after a long wedding evening or during baptisms before the ceremony. Each city in Morocco has its own version of harira, thus perpetuating an authenticity and know-how that is passed down from generation to generation.

Moroccan Harira

During Ramadan, the aromatic blend of coriander and spices fills the air, enchanting the taste buds before iftar (breaking the fast) We just want a good bowl with some dates, chebakia , a chicken cigar, minced meat spring roll, briouats, etc.

There isn’t just one Moroccan harira recipe, but each region of the kingdom has its own recipe. However, the base with the main ingredients will be the same everywhere. Depending on the region, the spices and legumes will change. Having tasted them all, they’re all delicious. However, it does not contain ras el hanout.

The Fassi harira (from the Medina of Fes) is the least spicy; it does not contain carwiya (caraway) or kababa (allspice). This is the recipe I make and recommend.
The Oujdia harira (from the city of Oujda) is very flavorful thanks to caraway and allspice. Some families also add dried broad beans in addition to chickpeas. Everyone has their own method of preparation , but in the end, each soup is equally delicious.
The harira bidaouia (from Casablanca) usually contains a beaten egg, which is added after the tadouira (Flour-Based Thickener).

Traditional Moroccan soup, warming and tasty.

Table of Contents

Tips and Key Points :

You can click on the table of contents and go directly to the recipe, but I advise you to read this section.

Harira consists of a broth and a thickener called tadouira.

The broth contains: fresh tomato puree, onion, parsley, cilantro, celery, tomato paste, legumes like chickpeas and lentils.

The main spices are: salt, pepper, ginger, and turmeric. Some people add cinnamon, caraway, or allspice to enhance the flavor. Smen (aged butter) is optional but gives a unique taste that I really enjoy. Contrary to popular belief, traditional harira does not contain Ras el hanout, not even in Choumicha’s version.

Preparation of Tadouira (Harira Thickener)

Tadouira is essential to give harira its smooth and velvety texture. It is prepared with water and flour, well mixed with a whisk or blender to avoid lumps.The mixture is then filtered through a fine sieve to ensure it is smooth.
It is advisable to prepare the tadouira in advance and let it rest for a few hours. Our grandmothers used fermented sourdough, which made the harira more digestible and gave it a slight acidity.

Moroccan Authentic Harira Soup

Cooking the broth: Sauté the meat with all the ingredients and spices for about ten minutes. Add water and cook:
30 minutes in a pressure cooker or about 1 hour in a pot, until the meat and chickpeas are tender. It is important to use ripe tomatoes for a beautiful color and more intense flavor.

Adding Tadouira to the Harira

Adding the tadouira is a key step that must not be missed. Gradually pour the tadouira into the pot, stirring constantly to prevent lumps from forming. Continue stirring until it returns to a boil. In Arabic, “tadouira” means “to turn”, referring to the circular motion necessary when incorporating it.

Adding Vermicelli or Rice

Once the tadouira is well integrated and the soup is boiling again, add vermicelli or rice. I prefer to use cut spaghetti rather than vermicelli, which tends to swell in the soup if there are leftovers for the next day.

The soup should simmer until the foam formed by the tadouira disappears. Just before removing it from the heat, add some fresh cilantro to enhance the flavor.

Adjusting the Texture

The creaminess of harira depends on the right amount of tadouira. I use 100 g (3.5 oz) of flour for 2.5 liters (2.6 quarts) of broth. If the soup is too thick, add a little boiling water to lighten it. If it’s too thin, add a bit more tadouira to adjust the texture.

the perfect, easy-to-make Moroccan harira recipe

Ingredients:

NB: Find the printable recipe card at the end of the content.

The broth:

250 g beef or lamb, cut into small cubes (8.8 oz)
200 g chickpeas, soaked overnight in water (7 oz)
1 large onion finely chopped
35 / 50 g lentils (1.2 / 1.8 oz )
600 g fresh tomatoes (21 oz)
1 ½ tablespoons 10 g chopped parsley (0.35 oz)
4 tablespoons 30 g chopped coriander (1 oz)
4 tablespoons 30 g chopped celery leaves (with a bit of the stalk) (1 oz)
40 g tomato paste 2 heaping tablespoons ( 1.4 oz)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil
1 heaping teaspoon ground ginger
1 level teaspoon turmeric
½ to 1 teaspoon ground pepper
¼ teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon smen (preserved aged butter – rancid butter ) (optional , adjust to taste)
35 g thin spaghetti or vermicelli (you can double this amount if preferred) (1.2 oz)
2.5 liters water

The flour-based thickener (Tadouira) :

100 g flour (3.5 oz )
Juice of half a lemon (optional)

Preparation steps :

1. Start by preparing the tadouira (the thickener)

Mix the flour with 250 ml (8.8 oz) of water using a whisk or blender to create a mixture with a based flour thickness.

Pass the mixture through a fine sieve.

Cover and let it sit until you are ready to thicken the harira.

When ready to use, add half of the tomato paste to the tadouira and mix well.

2. Prepare the Harira Broth

Peel the chickpeas that you soaked in water the night before.

Chop the onion and place it in a pot with the chickpeas and oil.

Add the diced meat, celery, parsley, half of the cilantro, half of the tomato paste, and lentils.

Peel the tomatoes and blend them to create a puree. You can blanch them in hot water for 5 minutes until the skins detach. Peel and blend them.

Add the tomato puree to the pot.

Add salt, ginger, pepper, turmeric, smen (clarified butter), and cinnamon.

Stir everything and simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes.

Add the remaining water (2.25 liters) and cook on medium heat for 1 hour, until the chickpeas are tender. If using a pressure cooker, cook for 20 to 30 minutes.

Preparing Harira Broth

Gradually add the tadouira (Based Flour Thickness) to the soup while stirring constantly. The heat should be high enough for the soup to start boiling again.

Once the soup starts to boil, add the vermicelli while stirring. If using spaghetti, use size 3.
Let it simmer on medium heat until the vermicelli is cooked and the foam formed by the tadouira disappears completely.

Once the vermicelli is cooked, add the remaining cilantro and let it cook for another 10 minutes before removing from the heat.

Easy Moroccan Harira Tadouira

Serve the harira hot with a slice of lemon and accompany it with dates or dried figs. It can also be enjoyed with some fresh homemade bread.

moroccan soup ramadan

FAQ About Harira

What to serve it with?

During Ramadan, at Iftar, Harira is served with chebakia, almond briouates , plain msemen or stuffed msemen, and all kinds of bricks. It is often served as an appetizer as a hot and comforting soup during a meal before serving other dishes such as prune tagine, roasted chicken with almonds, pastilla, etc. depending on the day’s menu.

How to store it?

Personally I do not keep it more than 3 days in the refrigerator in an airtight box. Some people freeze the stock without the tadouira, but for me, despite being a freezer addict, I’ve never been tempted by this soup.

Can you make a meatless harira?

Exactly! You can make it without meat. Many make it without meat, and it’s also very tasty. Some use a beef or lamb stock cube.

I hope the article wasn’t too long, but I wanted to tell you everything there is to know about a good Moroccan Harira.