Harira

Harira can be a thick and very peppery soup made up of meat cut into small pieces, eggs, lentils, flour, leaven, and chopped parsley. Other form Harira /Chorba is a soup, much like minestrone, but has lots of flavors. It is tomato based with chickpeas and spices. Some variations use vermicelli instead of chickpeas.

In its original Moroccan form, Harira is a relatively simple chickpea soup that may be made using either lamb or chicken for flavour rather than substance. Here the dish is closer to a liquid stew, with the chicken playing a central role.

Chickpeas, lentils and rice on the same plate may sound daunting, but any heaviness is avoided by deliberately breaking the preparation into separate steps to strike a new and sophisticated note. Care is taken to avoid overcooking the chicken and a main course emerges which manages to be satisfying without being too substantial. The addition of masses of coriander leaves and flat-leaf parsley just before serving makes the dish look ravishing while imparting a delicious freshness.