Our signature soup at KeKA was an earthy, vegetarian, Moroccan soup called Harira. It is a layered soup that takes a little while to make but it so well worth every minute. It is not by nature a spicy soup, although you could easily add red pepper flakes or cayenne, and the balance of the many spices are complicated and delicate at the same time.
I prefer to make my own veg stock, (see recipe at side of page) but store bought will work fine, too. Make sure when buying veg stock you get a low sodium product. This soup is so savory you don’t want to mess it up with salt. Because it is a peasant soup, the vegetables can be rough chopped and don’t really need to be uniform. I also make my rice ahead of time and add it to the soup at service. Layer the chic peas and lentils over the rice then pour the broth over it.
As a special treat, I make an airy semolina bread, with a soft crust and cumin seeds to dunk and absorb all the yummy broth. Don’t hurry this soup. It gets better the longer it stews.
HARIRA
Makes 1 gal.
Basmati Rice (cook and set aside)
2 cups rice, 3 cups water, tsp. celery seed, pinch of salt
Saute in deep saucepan, over medium heat, 4-5 minutes;
1 med red onion small dice
3-4 tomatoes medium dice
3-20oz cans chick peas with juice
Add:
2 cups domestic lentils
Big pinch of saffron threads
2-bay leaves
12 cups veg stock
Bring to boil then simmer about 30 minutes or until lentils are just al dente.
Add:
2 teaspoons each: Spanish paprika, Hungarian paprika, tumeric, & ground ginger
3 teaspoons: Cinnamon
¼ cup honey
Simmer until all dried spices have completely incorporated, at least another 30 minutes
Add:
½ cup each: fine chopped fresh parsley & fine chopped cilantro
Juice from 2 lemons
Salt & pepper to taste
Serve with Basmati rice, lemon wedges and fresh mint leaves
I prefer to make my own veg stock, (see recipe at side of page) but store bought will work fine, too. Make sure when buying veg stock you get a low sodium product. This soup is so savory you don’t want to mess it up with salt. Because it is a peasant soup, the vegetables can be rough chopped and don’t really need to be uniform. I also make my rice ahead of time and add it to the soup at service. Layer the chic peas and lentils over the rice then pour the broth over it.
As a special treat, I make an airy semolina bread, with a soft crust and cumin seeds to dunk and absorb all the yummy broth. Don’t hurry this soup. It gets better the longer it stews.
HARIRA
Makes 1 gal.
Basmati Rice (cook and set aside)
2 cups rice, 3 cups water, tsp. celery seed, pinch of salt
Saute in deep saucepan, over medium heat, 4-5 minutes;
1 med red onion small dice
3-4 tomatoes medium dice
3-20oz cans chick peas with juice
Add:
2 cups domestic lentils
Big pinch of saffron threads
2-bay leaves
12 cups veg stock
Bring to boil then simmer about 30 minutes or until lentils are just al dente.
Add:
2 teaspoons each: Spanish paprika, Hungarian paprika, tumeric, & ground ginger
3 teaspoons: Cinnamon
¼ cup honey
Simmer until all dried spices have completely incorporated, at least another 30 minutes
Add:
½ cup each: fine chopped fresh parsley & fine chopped cilantro
Juice from 2 lemons
Salt & pepper to taste
Serve with Basmati rice, lemon wedges and fresh mint leaves
