Moroccan Harira with spicy Harissa paste

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Last month we celebrated our anniversary.  Sometimes am amazed to realize how time flies. It seems only yesterday that all our friends and relatives gathered to bless us for our new journey and now we have our 10 months old to cuddle. When I first stepped in the house in Bangalore there was nothing except a gas oven, TV and the mattress. Then slowly we ordered furniture, bought utensils, decorated the place to suit our taste and now we have a house that we can call HOME.

Anniversary for us is a very important and private affair and we love to spend it together with gifts, good food and candle lights. Every year I give him a surprise party cooking something that I never tried before. I was quite in a dilemma as what to prepare this year. For work he often has to go to Israel and he completely is smitten by the various cuisines available there. Sometimes back he mentioned of this spicy Moroccan food which he loved very much, so I thought of trying Moroccan theme this year. Recently a great joint has opened up here called Mezze where they serve great Mediterranean cuisine and we simply love the couscous salad out there. Following all these the menu for our anniversary was

Harira with Harissa Paste

Broken wheat salad with grilled vegetables and fish (my take on couscous salad)

And for a sweet ending Black Forset Cake.

I will provide the recipes one by one. This time it’s the much loved Harira Soup which is a spicy Lentil soup with vegetables and chicken or beef. This is mainly eaten to break the all day fast during Muslim Holy month Ramadan. Though am just introduced to Moroccan cuisine but I must admit am just hooked to this spicy, aromatic and hearty food. This cuisine uses a lot of spices, herbs, olive oils and dry fruits. No dish is complete without cumin, saffron, mint and parsley. A traditional Moroccan meal will start with salad or soup and followed by Tazine either with couscous or bread. Bread is very important in their meal and almost eaten with every meal. The desserts are mostly prepared with dry fruits which are abundant in the area and they like to sip in sweet mint tea the whole day as a ritual. Harira is generally made with chicken. Beef or lamb but I made a vegetarian version and we just loved, loved and loved this dish. Though we ate it as a first course but with some bread this could be a meal in itself. It’s a thick hearty soup with all the goodness of proteins from lentils, vitamins and minerals from veggies, carbohydrate from pasta and flavor from the herbs. A complete healthy meal that gives you everything in a bowl. A must try if you like soups and as for us we are going to make it again and again and again.

While I was searching for Moroccan Harira I got this where it is suggested to serve it with Harissa, a North African chilli sauce made with chillies, herbs and tomatoes. This very hot spice paste is well known in Europe and America as they are now a day’s available off the rack in tubes.

Now let’s go to the recipe

Harira with hot Harissa paste (serves 2 as a main meal)

Ingredients:

Red Lentil (Masur): 8 tbsp

Chickpeas: a handful

Onion: 1 small

Tomato: 2 medium

Celery: 1 stalk

Mint leaves: a handful

Parsley: a handful

Coriander leaves: a handful

Potato: 1 small

Squash: ½

Beans: 6-7

Carrot: 1 big

Caraway seeds: ½ tsp

Cumin powder: 1/3 tsp

Cinnamon powder: 1/3 tsp

Turmeric Powder: 1/3 tsp

Ground ginger: ½ tsp

Rice noodles/vermicelli/small pasta: a handful; I used broken spaghetti

pepper corn: 6-7 pieces

stock cube: 1 (I used Maggi vegetable stock cube)

whole wheat flour: 2 tbsp

a pinch of saffron

olive oil: 1 tbsp

salt to taste

Lemon: to serve

(I know this is a long list but these are things which are very common in almost all kitchens.)

Method: soak the chickpeas for 3-4 hours and cook with salt for 2 whistles. Keep aside.

Chop the veggies in small pieces. Chop the herbs roughly and keep aside.

Pick and wash the red lentil and keep aside.

Heat the oil in a big pan and add the caraway seeds. When crackle, add the chopped onion and celery. Fry till onions are light pink.

Add in the ginger, cumin, cinnamon and turmeric powder. Fry on low till a nice fragrance come through.

Add all the veggies and salt. Mix everything together. Cover and let it cook for 5-7 minutes.

Once the veggies are a little dry add in drained red lentil. Stir till the lentils change the colour.

Add a liter of warm water. Break in the stock cube and stir till it dissolve. Put the whole tomatoes in the pan and let it cook covered on medium.

Once the lentil is cooked but still hold the shape (about 7-9 minutes) smash the tomatoes with your spatula and tip in the herbs, spaghetti, saffron and chickpeas.

Again cover and let it cook till the red lentils totally dissolves and gives a smooth consistency to the soup.

Now mix the flour in 1/3 cup water and mix in the soup to thicken it. Boil for another couple of minutes and your hearty harira is ready to be served.

Harissa Paste

Ingredients:

Dry red Chilies:  10 pieces

Fat cloves of garlic: 4 pieces

Caraway seeds: ½ tsp

Coriander seeds: 1 tsp

Cumin seeds: 1 tsp

Mint leaves: a handful

Parsley: a handful

Tomato: 1 big

Salt

Olive oil: 1 tbsp

Mehod:

Soak the chillies in water for 10 minutes and drain the water.

Rub the tomato with little oil and burn it on stove top till the skin is black.

Tip in everything in a mixer and grind to a smooth paste.

Done

Now serve the Harira with this spice mix and lemon wedges. Taste the fruit of your labour and enjoy tasty wholesome goodness in every spoonful.

these hot bowl is off to Susan's MLLA: 20 guest hosted by Crispy cook for February.


Also sending this to Joanne's regional cooking event: middle eastern food.


Have a great Sunday friends!