Two black bowls with red-dotted rims filled with smooth orange-brown soup topped with chopped cilantro, on a burlap tablecloth. — Photo: Mountaflou · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Middle Eastern & North African · Lunch · Dinner

Harira

Name: Harira
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 70 min
Total time: 90 min
Cuisine: Middle Eastern & North African
Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil; 300 g lean lamb leg, trimmed and cut into 1.5 cm cubes; 1 large onion, finely chopped; 2 stalks celery, finely chopped; 1 tsp ground ginger; 1 tsp ground turmeric; 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon; 1/2 tsp ground black pepper; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 1 can (400 g) canned diced tomatoes; 3/4 cup dry brown or green lentils, rinsed; 8 cups (2 L) water; 1 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro, chopped; 1 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped; 1 1/2 cups canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed; 1 1/2 tsp salt; 3 tbsp whole wheat flour; 1/2 cup cold water for the flour slurry; 1 large egg, beaten; 1 medium lemon, juiced

الحريرة (Harira)

By BerryFit Kitchen · Nutrition checked with USDA data · Updated Oct 11, 2026 · How we make recipes

A warming Moroccan soup of tomatoes, lentils and chickpeas, gently spiced with ginger, turmeric and cinnamon and finished with plenty of fresh herbs and a squeeze of lemon. This lighter version uses lean lamb and just a spoonful of olive oil.

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 70 min
Total: 90 min
Serves: 6

Medium
Dairy Free
High protein

14%

Per serving281kcal14% of a 2,000 kcal day

22gProtein

36gCarbs

7gFat

8gFiber

Calories come from: Carbs 49% · Fat 21% · Protein 30%

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Ingredients

For 6 servings

1 tbsp14 golive oil
300 glean lamb leg, trimmed and cut into 1.5 cm cubes
1 large150 gonion, finely chopped
2 stalks80 gcelery, finely chopped
1 tspground ginger
1 tspground turmeric
1/2 tspground cinnamon
1/2 tspground black pepper
2 tbsp32 gtomato paste
1 can (400 g)canned diced tomatoes
3/4 cup150 gdry brown or green lentils, rinsed
8 cups (2 L)water
1 cup loosely packed30 gfresh cilantro, chopped
1 cup loosely packed30 gfresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 1/2 cups240 gcanned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 tsp9 gsalt
3 tbsp24 gwhole wheat flour
1/2 cup120 gcold water for the flour slurry
1 large50 gegg, beaten (optional)
1 medium45 glemon, juiced

Steps

1
Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat.
2
Add the lamb and brown it on all sides, about 5 minutes.
3
Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes.
4
Stir in the ginger, turmeric, cinnamon and black pepper and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
5
Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
6
Add the canned tomatoes, lentils, 2 L water and half of the cilantro and parsley.
7
Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer gently for 40 minutes, until the lentils and lamb are tender.
8
Add the chickpeas and salt and simmer for 10 minutes more.
9
Whisk the flour with the 1/2 cup cold water until smooth.
10
Slowly pour the slurry into the simmering soup, stirring constantly so it does not clump.
11
Simmer, stirring often, for 10 minutes until the soup thickens slightly and loses any floury taste.
12
If using the egg, drizzle it into the simmering soup while stirring slowly so it sets into thin ribbons, about 1 minute.
13
Stir in the remaining cilantro and parsley and the lemon juice.
14
Taste, adjust the seasoning, and serve hot.

Swaps, storage and make-ahead

Swaps

For a vegetarian version, leave out the lamb, add an extra half cup of lentils and use the same amount of water or a vegetable stock.
To make it vegan, skip the lamb and the egg, since every other ingredient is plant-based.
For a gluten-free version, thicken with rice flour or chickpea flour instead of whole wheat flour.
If lamb is hard to find, use lean beef chuck cut into small cubes and simmer it the same way.

Storage

Cool and refrigerate within 2 hours in a covered container and eat within 3 to 4 days, reheating until steaming hot and adding a splash of water since it thickens as it sits. It freezes well for up to 3 months if you leave out the egg and stir it in fresh when reheating.

Make ahead

Cook the soup through the chickpea step up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate, then reheat to a simmer and add the flour slurry, egg, fresh herbs and lemon just before serving. You can also chop the onion and celery a day ahead and keep them covered in the fridge.

Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.

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Allergens and nutrition

Contains: GlutenCeleryEggs

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

Full nutrition

	Per serving (605 g)	Per 100 g
Calories	281 kcal	46 kcal
Protein	22.2 g	3.7 g
Carbohydrates	35.8 g	5.9 g
of which sugars	6 g	1 g
Fiber	8.4 g	1.4 g
Fat	6.7 g	1.1 g
of which saturated	1.7 g	0.3 g
Sodium	821 mg	136 mg

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