Chickpea Harira

Name: Chickpea Harira
Ingredients: 1 cup dried chickpeas; 8 cups water; 3 tomatoes, diced; 1/4 cup chopped celery leaves; 1 onion, finely diced; 6 whole cloves; 1-inch piece cinnamon stick; 1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns; 1 teaspoon cumin seeds; 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads; 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes; 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric; 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil; 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves; 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves; 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice; Salt to taste; 1/2 cup Greek-style yogurt

18 ingredients

10 steps

Ingredients

1 cup dried chickpeas
8 cups water
3 tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup chopped celery leaves
1 onion, finely diced
6 whole cloves
1-inch piece cinnamon stick
1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt to taste
1/2 cup Greek-style yogurt

Directions

1

Throughly rinse the chickpeas and place them in the slow cooker insert along with the water, tomatoes, celery leaves, and onion.
2

Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or until the chickpeas are tender.
3

In an electric coffee mill or a mortar and pestle, grind the cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns, cumin, saffron, and red pepper flakes to a powder.
4

Add the ground turmeric.
5

Add the spices to the soup 1 to 2 hours before serving.
6

(If you plan to be gone all day, you can add all the ingredients at the start.
7

However, the spices will be just a bit more pungent if you hold off adding them until the chickpeas have cooked for a while.)
8

Just before serving, stir in the olive oil, parsley, cilantro, and lemon juice.
9

Add salt to taste and serve, topping each serving with a dollop of yogurt.
10

Consumption of alcohol is generally not encouraged by Muslim religious practices, so its probably best to leave this one to your imagination or taste.