Yes, it’s summer. And yes, it’s relatively warm. But this should not stop one to have hearty soup! At least, it does not stop me. Especially if it is a lovely, spicy soup like this one.

 

I saw this soup first in the Green Kitchen Travels cookbook. Its original name is Harira soup and it’s from Morocco. Traditionally it is eaten with fresh dates without seeds. I made a little bit of twists changing some of the measurements and taking away the date part. This is why I do not call it harira soup in the title. But if you want, serve it with fresh dates.

 

 

I actually don’t normally eat very spicy food. Particularly for the last few months, I’ve been eating quite mild food. This is only because my stomach has been very sick since last October. I’ve taken good care of my stomach since then and now I’m feeling better. So I’m back to eating spicy food – but just every now and then, not every day!

 

 

 

And this soup is just the right amount of spicy – it’s not stomach burning spicy. Especially the addition of turmeric tones the taste down to a milder state. Also, the chunks of tomatoes, chickpeas and veggies helps with the toning of the soup making it a very rich one. Enjoy your new soup recipe!
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Ingredients:

 

Difficulty:  ★☆☆ (Easy)
(serves 4)

 

Printable PDF-recipe (no photos)

 

2 tbsp olive oil
1 big onion, diced
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 celery sticks, diced
2 big carrots, diced
1 can (400 gr.) cherry tomatoes, with juice
1 lt vegetable broth or water
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 tbsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground paprika
2 tbsp lemon juice, preferably freshly squeezed
1 can (400 gr.) cooked chickpeas, drained
salt and pepper to taste

 

To serve (optional):
fresh parsley

 

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1. In a large pan suitable for soup, put olive oil and warm for half a minute in medium high heat. Add onion and saute for about 2 minutes, until it gets softer. Add garlic and continue to saute, until the onion gets soft and translucent.

 

 

 

 

 

2. Add tomato paste, celery, carrot and canned tomato and stir well.

 

 

 

 

 

3. Add water / vegetable stock and stir.

 

 

 

4. Add ginger, turmeric, cumin and paprika and stir well. Let the soup boil.

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. When the soup starts boiling, turn the heat to medium and let it simmer for 30 minutes.

 

 

6. Add lemon juice and chickpeas. Stir and let it simmer for 5 more minutes.

 

 

 

 

7. Adjust the taste by adding salt and pepper. Let it simmer for a few more minutes and then turn off the heat. Cover the pan and let it sit for about 5 minutes minimum, before serving. Serve with fresh parsley (optional). Enjoy!