Harira – Moroccan Lamb Stew

“I hate to give such an average rating; but, it smelled sooo delicious; but, i found the flavour really disappointed.I went through every review adding any extras that others have added & still felt the flavour’s just didn’t add up to a great recipe.sorry.the stew was edible; but, i won’t try it again.sorry :(“

“This was my 1st attempt in making this dish – and we LOVED it! Iused bone-in lamb pieces, added 2 cloves garlic, used red lentils instead of green and skipped the eggs. Also, I first sauteed the onions and garlic just to brown it up a bit and then added in the spices, lamb and salt, then carried on as per the recipe. DH, who avoids lentils like the plague, did not whinge! Next time, I shall add in a few strands of saffron and maybe try to spice it up a bit more by adding ground cumin and coriander. Thank you, Mirj, for sharing this wonderful recipe!”

“I did like this stew, however I felt a few things were lacking. For one, this recipe does not call for salt, so I think it would be better to salt the lamb cubes before adding them to the pot. Also, The recipe asks you to throw mostly everything in at once, I would suggest sauteing the onions first, then add seasoned lamb and brown, then follow the the remailing ingredients.(I also added three garlic cloves, I can’t imagine eating lamb without garlic) I used olive oil instead of butter (lamb is fatty enough). In the future I think I will use lamb that still has the bone. I used boneless leg of lamb and both my husband and I were dissappointed that we could not taste much of the lamb in this “Lamb Stew” I do think that the bone would have imparted more flavor. I also omited the vermicelli since the soup has enough starch with the lentils and garbanzos. All in all I think it is a good recipe and I would make it again.”

“During cooking I added some salt. I didn’t add in the chickpeas, cilantro, or the eggs, and it still came out very good. Thanks for the recipe.”

“Wow!It’s delicious.I followed the recipe except for the water – I replaced with one cup of red wine, 14 oz of beef broth and 2 cups of water.I also added about 1.5 tablespoon of salt.I cooked the vermicelli separately and added as desired.YUMMY!The spices are flavorful but not hot.Our whole family enjoyed it and all gave it a hearty five stars.My daughter asked me to pack it in her lunch tomorrow.Thank you Mirj for another great recipe.”

“Oh my goodness! This was a fantastic soup. The flavors combinations are delicious. The only thing I changed was the cooking technique. As the spice mixture is very similar to what Indian’s use, I used my mothers method for cooking just about anything. Saute onions for a few minutes, then add spices, cook a few minutes more-until the oils have released then continue as directed. It came out beautifully! Thanks for a great simple recipe.”

“First, I apologize for changing this recipe a bit. However, as written, it rates more than 5 stars. I was looking for something out of the ordinary for Sunday dinner and this recipe sounded good but I didn’t want it in stew form. I wanted to serve over rice. Therefore, I used only 3 cups of liquid (chicken broth)and also omitted the vermicelli. I don’t like the looks of stringy egg floating in my food so omitted it also. These changes in no way took away from the wonderful flavor of the seasoning. Served over fluffy Basmati Rice along with Naan and a Cucumber/yoghurt salad made for a very tasty Sunday dinner.”

“i really love harira and was looking for a good recipe for a while now, i used to eat it loads during ramadan in my friends house who is morocan. i made it yesterday and mmmmmm i loved it! i added some cumin, about 1tbs tomato puree,1 tsp curry powder and some harissa for a little spicey kick. but other than that i followed the recipe properly 🙂 thanks for sharing!! i will be making it loads more.”

“I didn’t know what this was suuposed to taste like, so I followed the directions almost exactle. (I forgot to buy the garbonzo beans. Very tasty, unique sort of dish. I’ll make it again.”

“Harira is traditionally served as the evening meal to break fast during Ramadan. Consequently, it’s meant to be both hearty and very nourishing. Most Moroccan cooks have their own versions (some may use saffron instead of turmeric; others vary in their use of cayenne, cinnamon, eggs, flat leaf parsley, marrow bones, etc.). Most recipes do include rice or vermicelli, and typically the meat is not browned before it’s put into the stew, but it’s all a matter of taste. I’ve tried many versions and variations of this soup. This recipe was easy to prepare, and I think it’s very good as it stands. The canned tomatoes work well during the winter when fresh ones are relatively tasteless.”

“Have a friend who made this many times and each was great.I have now made it several times for my Algerian boyfriend who loves it as well as it reminds him of Chorba.Very simple and easy to follow directions- Thanks for posting Mirj.”

“Phenomenally tasty.I could have eaten the whole pot.I served it with basmati rice, seasoned with olive oil, and a mix of pistachios and herbs.Wonderful! Thanks!”

“My whole family really enjoyed this, we couldn’t stop eating this, it was so good. Wonderful combination of flavors. The only change I made was to use red lentil instead of green, since that’s what I had. This is definitely a keeper!”

“I finally had a chance to make this and even though it’s summer and it heated up the kitchen, it was so worth it!First, the instructions given here are very clear.This is such an easy dish to make.I used the shank portion of a leg of lamb, rather than the lamb cubes, and couscous instead of vermicelli,because that’s how I had it in a restaurant in Jaffa. (oh and I added a carrot) This dish has such a great depth of flavor and the broth is so rich and wonderful.My whole family really LOVED this dish.Thank you so much Mirj for sharing this with all of us!Everyone should try this (even if you think you dont’ like lamb!)”