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Harira bel Djaj

Another Moroccan soup, this one too makes a good meal to serve at a party.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    serves 10

Ingredients

A 3 1/2-pound chicken
2 cups chickpeas, soaked in water overnight
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
5 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
Pepper
1/2–3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Salt
4 ounces vermicelli, crushed into bits with your hand
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
5 lemons, cut in wedges, to serve with

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Put the chicken in a large pan with 3 quarts of water. Bring to the boil and remove the scum. Add the chickpeas, onion, tomatoes, and some pepper, and simmer, covered, for 1 1/2 hours, until the chickpeas are soft. Add the ginger, cinnamon, and salt when the chickpeas begin to soften.

    Step 2

    Lift out the chicken, remove the skin and bones, and cut up into small pieces. Return to the pan and add more water if necessary. Add the vermicelli, parsley, and cilantro and cook a few minutes until the vermicelli are tender.

    Step 3

    Serve hot, accompanied by lemon wedges.

  2. Variations

    Step 4

    Here are two traditional ways of thickening the soup at the end if you wish:

    Step 5

    Just before serving, beat 3 eggs with a ladle of the broth from the soup, then pour this into the soup, stirring vigorously for a few seconds without letting the soup boil (or the eggs will curdle).

    Step 6

    Add 4 tablespoons flour mixed to a light cream with a few tablespoons cold water, and stir vigorously, then simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.

Cover of Claudia Roden's The New Book of Middle Easter Food, featuring a blue filigree bowl filled with Meyer lemons and sprigs of mint.
Reprinted with permission from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food, copyright © 2000 by Claudia Roden, published by Knopf. Buy the full book on Amazon or Bookshop.
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