Being away from home during Ramadan is hard, especially if this is your first time making your own Iftars. Every night during Ramadan, my mom makes the traditional Moroccan soup Harira. Although Harira usually has meat in it, this version is meatless (I am a vegetarian) and much faster to make. Try out this easy Ramadan Iftar to remind you of home.
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Serving Size: 7-10
Ingredients: (all measurements are approximations and can be adjusted for taste)
4 tomatoes
2 tbsp of tomato paste
2 cups of water
1 stalk of celery (with leaves)
1 bunch of parsley
1 bunch of cilantro
1 yellow onion
1 cup of chickpeas
1 ½ cups of brown or green lentils
1 tbsp of black pepper
1 tbsp of kosher salt
1 tbsp of ginger powder
1 tbsp of cumin
½ tsp of cinnamon
1 tbsp of ground coriander
1 cup of lentils
1 lemon
¼ cup grounded oatmeal
Ingredient Preparation:
Create 4 slits at the top of the tomatoes. Place tomatoes in boiling water until they are soft to the touch. Peel the skin off the tomatoes and puree them in a food processor or blender.
Grate the onions and finely chop the celery, parsley, and cilantro.
Directions:
In a pot, saute the celery, onions, parsley, and cilantro until the celery is soft and the onions are translucent. Add seasonings (salt, pepper, ginger, cumin, coriander, and cinnamon) to the mixture while it is cooking.
Add tomato puree and water into a pot and stir. Once the mixture has come to a simmer, add the chickpeas and lentils to the soup. Place cap over the pot and allow soup to simmer until lentils are cooked all the way through.
Thicken the soup by adding grounded oatmeal (or flour and water mixture); simmer the soup for 5-10 more minutes.
Remove from heat and serve with lemon and cilantro over top.
