Harira
A Moroccan harira-inspired recipe, made in a pressure cooker. The spicy soup is made by combining the likes of chickpeas, lamb, warm spices and long grain rice.
From the book
The Pressure Cooker Cookbook
150 mouthwatering recipes for the pressure cooker.
Quick and easy one pot meals for busy weeknight dinners.
From pot-roast chicken and seafood risotto, to chocolate pots and cheesecake.
Introduction
I have lost count of the number of times I have made this soup. I first came across it in one of the Two Fat Ladies’ books, years before I became interested in Moroccan food, and I have always come back to it, as for me, the combinations of different textures are just right. My recipe is based upon their version, but I have just changed the spice mix a little. If you want to make this soup quickly, use pre-cooked chickpeas.
Ingredients
| 115g | dried chickpeas (or 400g tin of cooked chickpeas) |
| 1 tbsp | olive oil |
| 25g | butter |
| 1 | large onion, finely chopped |
| 350g | lamb, preferably neck fillet or shoulder, cut into 3cm cubes |
| 2 | garlic cloves, finely chopped |
| 1 tsp | ground ginger |
| 1 tsp | turmeric |
| 1 tsp | ground cumin |
| ½ tsp | cayenne pepper |
| ¼ tsp | ground cinnamon |
| 1 l | chicken stock |
| A generous pinch | of saffron |
| 400g tin | of chopped tomatoes |
| 55g | long-grain rice |
| 2 | red peppers, skinned, seeded and cut into thick strips |
| Juice of 1 lemon | |
| 1 tbsp | finely chopped flat-leaf parsley |
| Salt and freshly ground pepper | |
| If cooking chickpeas: | |
| 1 | bay leaf |
| 1 tbsp | vegetable oil |
Essential kit
You will need a pressure cooker.
Method
If you need to cook your chickpeas, do this first. Put them in the pressure cooker with a bay leaf and ½ teaspoon of salt. Add water to the halfway mark, pour in the vegetable oil and close the lid. Bring to high pressure and cook for 20 minutes if soaked, 32 minutes if not. Allow to drop pressure naturally.
Heat the oil and butter in the base of the pressure cooker. Add the onion and sauté until starting to soften, then turn up the heat a little, add the lamb and brown on all sides. Add the garlic and spices and fry for a couple of minutes more. Pour over the chicken stock, season with salt and pepper, then close the lid. Bring to high pressure, cook for 15 minutes, then fast release.
Put the saffron in 2 tablespoons of warm water to infuse, then add this to the pressure cooker along with the tomatoes, rice and cooked chickpeas. Close the lid, bring to high pressure again and cook for a further 5 minutes. Allow to release pressure naturally, then add the red peppers and lemon juice. Allow to simmer for a couple of minutes and top up with a little water or stock if you feel it needs it. Serve sprinkled with the parsley.
