Soups of the World - Moroccan Harira & Chicken Soup

Harira is a traditional Moroccan soup often used to break fast during Ramadan. There are lots of variations, this recipe uses chicken and lentils along with vegetables.

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts
2 carrots
4 celery stalks
1 parsnip
2 leeks
2 cans of chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons harissa
2 stock cubes
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoons coriander
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons turmeric
85g green lentils
1 lemon
1 tablespoon sugar
Plain yoghurt to serve

In a large pan brown off the chicken breasts in some oil.

When done, remove the chicken and set aside. Pour 300ml of water into the pan and de-glaze it. Pour this water out and set aside also.

Cut the celery, carrot, leek and parsnip into bite-sized pieces.

Saute the vegetables in some more oil until they start to soften (about 5 minutes).

Stir in the spices.

Now add the harissa, tomatoes, stock cubes, lentils, chicken water and chicken. Add another 300ml of water and give it a good stir. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove the chicken and shred it using two forks. Return to the pan along with the juice and zest from the lemon plus the sugar. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Serve with a dollop of yoghurt.

We really enjoyed this one. I was expecting it to be a bit hotter with all the spices but it was quite mild in taste. It was full of flavour though. Harissa is a great ingredient giving a sharp zing to the soup but not too much. The yoghurt is a lovely addition making each spoonful creamy but I think the soup could do without the lentils as they didn't add much. Still, an overall lovely warming soup with some Moroccan spice!