Photo: Slothtysloth · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Bowl of red tomato soup with cracked wheat, lamb chunks and chopped coriander, a spoon lifting some, with dates and lemon nearby. — Photo: Slothtysloth · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Middle Eastern & North African · Lunch · Dinner

Chorba Frik

Name: Chorba Frik
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 85 min
Total time: 105 min
Cuisine: Middle Eastern & North African
Ingredients: 400 g lean lamb leg, trimmed of fat and cut into 2 cm cubes; 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 large onion, finely chopped; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 1 stalk celery, finely diced; 1 medium carrot, diced; 1 medium zucchini, diced; 2 medium ripe tomatoes, grated; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 1 cup chickpeas, canned, drained and rinsed; 3/4 cup frik (cracked green wheat / freekeh), rinsed; 1 bunch fresh coriander, chopped; 1 tsp dried mint; 2 tsp paprika; 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon; 1 tsp ground black pepper; 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper; 1 1/2 tsp salt; 8 1/2 cups (2 L) water; 1 small lemon, cut into wedges, to serve

شوربة فريك (Chorba Frik)

By BerryFit Kitchen · Nutrition checked with USDA data · Updated Oct 20, 2026 · How we make recipes

A warming Algerian soup of tender lamb, smoky cracked green wheat, tomato and chickpeas, fragrant with fresh coriander and dried mint. This lighter version uses lean lamb leg, very little oil and extra vegetables while keeping the classic flavour.

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 85 min
Total: 105 min
Serves: 6

Medium
Dairy Free
High protein

13%

Per serving250kcal13% of a 2,000 kcal day

20gProtein

27gCarbs

7gFat

7gFiber

Calories come from: Carbs 42% · Fat 26% · Protein 32%

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Ingredients

For 6 servings

400 glean lamb leg, trimmed of fat and cut into 2 cm cubes
1 tbsp13 golive oil
1 large150 gonion, finely chopped
2 cloves6 ggarlic, minced
1 stalk40 gcelery, finely diced
1 medium60 gcarrot, diced
1 medium200 gzucchini, diced
2 medium250 gripe tomatoes, grated
2 tbsp32 gtomato paste
1 cup160 gchickpeas, canned, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup120 gfrik (cracked green wheat / freekeh), rinsed
1 bunch30 gfresh coriander, chopped
1 tspdried mint
2 tsp5 gpaprika
1/2 tspground cinnamon
1 tspground black pepper
1/4 tspcayenne pepper (optional)
1 1/2 tsp9 gsalt
8 1/2 cups (2 L)water
1 small60 glemon, cut into wedges, to serve (optional)

Steps

1
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat.
2
Add the lamb cubes and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes.
3
Add the onion, celery and garlic and cook, stirring, for 4 minutes until softened.
4
Stir in the paprika, cinnamon, black pepper, cayenne if using, and half the coriander; cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
5
Add the grated tomatoes and tomato paste and cook for 3 minutes, stirring often.
6
Pour in the water, add the salt and bring to a boil.
7
Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes until the lamb is tender.
8
Add the rinsed frik, carrot and chickpeas and stir well.
9
Simmer partly covered for 20 minutes, stirring now and then so the wheat does not stick.
10
Add the zucchini and simmer for 10 minutes more, until the frik is soft and the soup has thickened; add a splash of hot water if it gets too thick.
11
Check the lamb is fork-tender and cooked through (at least 71 °C / 160 °F); taste and adjust the salt.
12
Stir in the dried mint, rubbing it between your fingers, and the remaining coriander.
13
Ladle into bowls and serve with lemon wedges for squeezing, if you like.

Swaps, storage and make-ahead

Swaps

Use skinless boneless chicken thigh instead of lamb and cut the first simmer to about 25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
For a vegan version, leave out the lamb, use vegetable stock instead of water, and add an extra cup of chickpeas or some brown lentils.
If you can't find frik, use the same amount of bulgur or pearl barley, adjusting the simmering time until the grain is soft.
For a gluten-free soup, replace the frik with rinsed quinoa or short-grain rice and check that your spices and stock are labelled gluten-free.

Storage

Cool and refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in a covered container for up to 3 to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. The wheat keeps absorbing liquid, so add a splash of water when reheating and heat until steaming hot.

Make ahead

Chop the onion, celery, carrot and zucchini and grate the tomatoes up to a day ahead and keep them covered in the fridge. You can also make the whole soup a day early, which lets you lift off any solidified fat before reheating with a little extra water.

Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.

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Allergens and nutrition

Contains: GlutenCelery

Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.

Full nutrition

	Per serving (580 g)	Per 100 g
Calories	250 kcal	43 kcal
Protein	20.2 g	3.5 g
Carbohydrates	26.7 g	4.6 g
of which sugars	5.7 g	1 g
Fiber	6.5 g	1.1 g
Fat	7.3 g	1.3 g
of which saturated	1.5 g	0.3 g
Sodium	719 mg	124 mg

Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.