Harira with Chickpeas and Lentils
A substantial vegetarian Moroccan soup with tender lentils, chickpeas and fine vermicelli in a silky tomato broth. Ginger, parsley and fresh coriander bring warmth and freshness, with lemon wedges alongside. Allow about 1 hour 20 minutes using cooked chickpeas; older lentils may take longer.
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Cook mode
Scale servings, tick off ingredients, and run step timers without losing your place.
Servings
Originally developed for 4 servings.
Ingredient checklist
Method
- No timer needed
Finely chop the onion and celery. Check and rinse the lentils, then drain and rinse the chickpeas. Chop the parsley and coriander, keeping 15 g of each for cooking separate from 5 g of each for finishing. Break the vermicelli into roughly 3 cm lengths and cut the lemon into four wedges.
- 08:00
Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based 4-litre saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened without browning. While they soften, measure the ginger, turmeric, cinnamon and black pepper. Stir these into the vegetables for 30 seconds; reduce the heat if the spices begin to catch.
- 20:00
Add the lentils and 1.3 litres prepared stock. Bring to the boil, allowing about 5 minutes, then reduce to a gentle simmer and partly cover. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Check that the lentils are beginning to soften before adding tomatoes; if still very hard, simmer for another 5–10 minutes first.
- 15:00
Stir in the chopped tomatoes and their juice, tomato purée, chickpeas, and 15 g each of parsley and coriander. Return to a gentle simmer and cook partly covered for 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender throughout with no chalky centre. Extend this stage if needed before adding flour or pasta. During the final minute, whisk the 20 g flour with 60 ml cold water until completely smooth.
- No timer needed
Whisk the slurry again, then pour it into the soup in a thin stream while stirring continuously. Bring back to gentle bubbling and cook uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring frequently and scraping the base so it does not catch. Add the pasta during the final part of this simmer as described below. The finished broth should have no raw flour taste.
- 04:00
For 4-minute vermicelli, stir it in after the slurry has simmered for about 6 minutes, then cook for 4 minutes, stirring to separate the strands. Follow the packet time for other fine vermicelli, allowing at least 10 minutes of simmering for the flour overall. Taste a strand: it should be tender, not chalky. If your pasta needs more than 10 minutes, finish the flour simmer first, then add it and allow its full packet cooking time.
- No timer needed
Heat the adjustment water in a kettle. Add it only as needed, in 50 ml additions, until the broth lightly coats a spoon but pours freely. Taste and add up to 2 g salt if needed; salty stock may need none. Stir in the reserved 5 g each of parsley and coriander. Ladle into four bowls and serve immediately with a lemon wedge each, to squeeze in at the table.
Chef tips
- The schedule assumes the shorter simmering times and 4-minute vermicelli. Older lentils, a slower hob or longer-cooking pasta will extend it; follow the texture cues.
- If evaporation exposes the lentils during an extended simmer, heat some of the listed adjustment water and add it earlier. Keep the lid partly on to limit further reduction.
- Prevent flour lumps with a smooth cold-water slurry, rewhisked immediately before gradual pouring into the stirred soup. Simmer gently for the full 10 minutes.
- If the soup catches, lower the heat and scrape the base more frequently. If it has burnt, transfer the unburnt soup to a clean pan without scraping up the scorched layer.
- Harira thickens as it stands. Loosen with hot water rather than adding more flour, and stop cooking once the pasta is tender.
- For planned leftovers, reserve soup before adding vermicelli and use 10 g dry pasta per quarter of the recipe when reheating.
Equipment check
- Heavy-based 4-litre saucepan with lid
- Knife and chopping board
- Sieve
- Kitchen scales and measuring jug
- Wooden spoon or heatproof spatula
- Small bowl and whisk
- Kettle
- Ladle
Nutrition per serving
- Calories320
- Protein14 g
- Carbs44 g
- Fat7 g
Tags
Behind the dish.
Overview
This vegetarian harira makes four substantial bowls. The goal is tender pulses and fine pasta in a broth that lightly coats a spoon but remains freely pourable. Start the lentils in stock before adding acidic tomatoes, then cook a modest flour slurry thoroughly for a silky finish. Lentil tenderness, rather than the clock alone, determines when to add the flour and pasta.
Ingredient notes
Use green or brown lentils, not split red lentils, and commercially cooked chickpeas. Dried or merely soaked chickpeas are not a direct substitute. Choose fine wheat soup vermicelli with an approximately 4-minute cooking time. Water can replace the stock, but will need more careful seasoning.
Choose stock and vermicelli suitable for vegetarians and dairy-free diets. Allergens include wheat/gluten in the flour and pasta, and celery. Stock may contain additional allergens, including soya; check labels. Fine rice noodles and a suitable gluten-free flour blend are possible substitutions, but their cooking and thickening behaviour differ. A gluten-free claim also requires checking the stock and all other ingredients.
Serving & storage
Serve immediately with a lemon wedge per bowl. Bread is optional and excluded from the nutrition estimate. For planned leftovers, set aside the required proportion of soup before adding pasta, then cook the corresponding proportion of vermicelli when reheating.
Cool leftovers promptly in shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours at 5°C or colder. Use within 48 hours or freeze sooner. Thaw in the fridge and reheat only once until steaming hot throughout, stirring and adding water to restore the consistency. Do not leave the full saucepan cooling at room temperature for several hours.
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