Chickpea Harira
- 1 cup dried chickpeas
- 8 cups water
- 3 tomatoes, diced
- ¼ cup chopped celery leaves
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 6 whole cloves
- 1-inch piece cinnamon stick
- ¼ teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon saffron threads
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Salt to taste
- ½ cup Greek-style yogurt
Instructions:
Although harira is most often prepared with lamb or chicken, a mighty savory version can also be prepared without meat.
- Throughly rinse the chickpeas and place them in the slow cooker insert along with the water, tomatoes, celery leaves, and onion. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or until the chickpeas are tender.
- In an electric coffee mill or a mortar and pestle, grind the cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns, cumin, saffron, and red pepper flakes to a powder. Add the ground turmeric.
- Add the spices to the soup 1 to 2 hours before serving. (If you plan to be gone all day, you can add all the ingredients at the start. However, the spices will be just a bit more pungent if you hold off adding them until the chickpeas have cooked for a while.)
- Just before serving, stir in the olive oil, parsley, cilantro, and lemon juice. Add salt to taste and serve, topping each serving with a dollop of yogurt.