Harira Soup

Ramadan is on our doorstep. As always, I’ll be sharing some recipes to keep things easy and nutritious....

Ingredients:
3 tablespoon olive oil
300g boneless beef pieces cut into 1cm cubes
1 onion (1 cup) finely chopped or grated
2 ribs (1/2 cup) of celery chopped
1 x 400g can of chopped tomatoes blitzed up
1 x 70g tin tomato paste
125g (1 cup) of dried chickpeas soaked for a minimum of 2 hours
80g (1/2 cup) brown lentils
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cinnamon sticks
1 bay leaf
3 teaspoon salt
Pinch of saffron bloomed in 2 tbsp hot water
Use your tomato can to measure your water - you need 5 cans
1 cup of vermicelli pasta
2 tablespoon flour mixed with 1/2 cup water
1 punnet coriander (30g)
1 punnet flat leaf parsley (30g)
Lemon
Extra Virgin Oil drizzle

Method:
Switch your Instant Pot to sauté. Add the olive oil into your pot. Add the beef and let it brown for 3 minutes. Add the onions and let it cook for 2 minutes. Add the celery and your spices.
Let your spices cook for 1 minute before adding in the tomato paste. Allow the tomato paste to cook for 2 minutes. Add in the blitzed tomatoes, chickpeas, lentils, and saffron.
Season with 3 tsp salt. Stir and make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of your pot.
Add in the water. Stir. Seal your pot. Pressure cook on high for 25 minutes.
Let it natural pressure release for 20 minutes, and release the remaining pressure. Stir in your vermicelli pasta and your flour slurry. Switch your pot to sauté, low heat for 5 minutes.
This is enough time to cook the pasta and cook out the flour. Stir in half of your chopped herbs.

To serve:
Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil
Garnish with more herbs

A generous squeeze fresh lemon

Notes:
To keep this wheatfree use corn flour for your flour slurry.
You can skip the vermicelli pasta. Do not use vermicelli rice noodle, it will disintegrate.
A can of chickpeas can be used, reduce your water by 1 can.
Dried chickpeas are much cheaper at a spice shop than a retail store
Lamb cubes can also be used, reduce pressure cook time to 15 minutes
Chicken necks are also an affordable option