The Moroccan Harira soup

METHOD

Soak the chickpeas and lentils separately (for 24 hours) the night before.

Put it in the fridge. Remove the skin from the chickpeas and drain the lentils. Reserve.

Cut the meat into small dice (1 cm x 1 cm). Peel, seed, and dice the tomatoes. Set aside.

Peel the celery stalks and cut them lengthwise. Thinly slice them.

In a large pot, heat a drizzle of olive oil and add the meat until brown. Add the onions, the celery, the chopped cilantro, and the parsley, and brown for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the diced and crushed tomatoes, the tomato paste, the saffron, the pepper, the chickpeas, the lentils, and the stock cube. Stir in the water.

Salt and bring to a boil. Cook over low heat for 1 hour.

When the harira is cooked, keep it on the heat and add the soup thickener by mixing together the cornstarch with 1 cup of water. Stir constantly, and keep the soup simmering.

Add the vermicelli and cook for another 3 minutes. Adjust the seasoning.

Final touch: sprinkle a tablespoon of fresh, chopped cilantro and parsley. Serve hot.