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Harira
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Introduction from Catherine Phipps
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
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.
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