The Moorish soup from Almería is directly related to the traditional Moroccan Harira soup. Typical of the Almanzora Valley in Almería, its origin undoubtedly lies in the great presence of the Muslim culture in the area, whose ties and vestiges can still be seen in recipes such as this and in monuments such as the beautiful Alcazaba of Almería.
This recipe is delicious and very aromatic, as some spices such as turmeric and ginger, as well as coriander, lemon and tomato create a very interesting mixture of flavours. It should also be taken into account that the chickpeas and lentils it contains, as well as the lamb, make this soup a very complete dish.
Ingredients for 8 people
- 400 g of lamb meat
- 100 g cooked chickpeas
- 100 g cooked lentils
- 75 g noodles
- 700 g of crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
- 3 sticks of celery
- 2 onions
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 lemon
- 1 litre of chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon of sweet or hot paprika
- 1 teaspoon of turmeric
- 1 teaspoon of ginger powder
- 1 teaspoon of ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon of sugar
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- Saffron strands to taste
- 2 tablespoons of chopped coriander
- 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley
- Olive oil
- Salt
How to Make the Moorish soup
- To prepare the Moorish soup, first chop the lamb into small cubes. Salt and add in a saucepan with a good hot jet of olive oil at a very high temperature. Sauté until golden.
- Once the meat is browned, add the finely chopped onion and garlic to let them fry. Then add the crushed tomato and tomato paste. Leave everything to cook for approximately 15 minutes.
- Afterwards, add the finely chopped celery as well as the freshly chopped coriander and parsley. The whole mixture should be well cooked and the flavours well combined.
- Add the chicken broth, spices, salt, sugar and lemon. Leave everything to cook over a medium-high heat for 1 hour. Check the seasoning after this time and correct it if necessary, especially if it is too acidic, for which a little more sugar should be added. Even so, it must be taken into account that a slight acidity is one of the identifying features of this dish.
- After the cooking time, add the cooked vegetables and leave to cook for 10 minutes so that they integrate well. Finally add the noodles so that they cook for 3 more minutes if they are thin.
- And the Moorish soup is ready! Just serve with chopped coriander and parsley on top before eating. A comforting dish with all the necessary ingredients to feed the body and mind.
