Harira: a taste of Morocco right here

Michael Henninger/Post-Gazette

A bowl of soup, which he says is the national dish of Morocco. His mother says the name of the soup comes from the word for silk, as the soup is supposed to be just as smooth and light as the fabric.

The menu at Kous Kous Cafe calls it "the staple Moroccan soup," but it's so much more than that, as apple pie to America is more than just a pastry.

"It's the national soup," says Abdel Khila, who grew up eating it in Morocco and had to have it at the restaurant he opened in Mt. Lebanon at the end of November.

My first taste of harira there, on a snowy December Saturday, was an epiphany beyond the described ingredients of chick peas, lentils, pasta and lamb.

I tasted the tomatoes ... definitely ginger ... and cilantro? that gave this creamy yellow soup a brightness of flavor and color that were extraordinary.

I had to make it myself.

At home that afternoon, I was surprised to find harira in several cookbooks, though the recipes varied widely. They also do online, where many call it "the best soup in the world."

So began my research on harira, which is most famously made and consumed in Morocco during Ramadan, the holy month when Muslims fast during daylight. After sunset, they eat harira, night after night.

I learned the most about this dish this week sitting down with Chef Khila and his mother, Habiba Echargi, who is visiting from Morocco.

Of course it's her recipe that is served at the restaurant.

She informed us both -- in Arabic, with him translating -- that the name of the soup comes from the word for silk, as it's supposed to be as smooth and light.

Especially in hers and previous generations, a Moroccan woman had to know how to make it well (as well as other classic dishes such as couscous). While families might make harira their own way -- chicken instead of lamb, or rice instead of pasta -- Chef Khila says it should always have tomatoes, lentils, chick peas (dried, not canned), cilantro, and a less-dear type of saffron for color. His version has just a little lamb, for flavor, and his mom adds flour to thicken it up. At home she might add other ingredients such as an indigenous clarified butter.

"There is an extremely important ingredient that most Americans aren't familiar with," he says. It's a type of celery you can find here in Asian markets as "Chinese celery" -- a thinner-stemmed version more like an herb than a vegetable.

I showed him the two recipes I've tried -- one vegetarian and one very meaty, neither of which contains any celery.

He dismissed them both as not authentic, and the veg version as "too creative." He smiles: "We don't use cannellini beans!"

But Mr. Khila is a purist, who orders his spices from his native country and himself grinds his dried ginger for the soup.

A father of two who lives in Beechview, he's currently on leave as a (very popular) language teacher at Upper St. Clair High School. He loves that job, but felt destined to open his own restaurant having worked in several around Pittsburgh, including Cafe Zinho, where he made harira as a special. (He moved to the states 13 years ago to work at Disney World in Orlando.)

I'm looking forward to going back to the drawing board and trying to cook up a harira more like his and his mom's.

Meanwhile, I'm happy I can buy harira at Kous Kous -- for $2.95 a cup or $4.95 bowl, maybe with some of the house flat bread (the round loaves of which they plan to sell separately soon).

There isn't much Moroccan food to be found around Pittsburgh, but I found another place that sometimes has harira: K&T's Fish & Chicken, on Centre Avenue in Oakland, where the soup of "tomatoes, chick peas, onions and Moroccan spices" is $3.75. I can't wait to try it. (K&T's also has some Moroccan tagines and couscous specials.)

However authentic they may be, the two soups I made were both very flavorful, and did give me an idea for how creative and versatile harira can be.

The veggie one was so spicy that I cut it with the leftover meaty version, creating another very delicious winter soup.

Kous Kous Cafe, at 665 Washington Road in Mt. Lebanon, serves lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner from 5:30 to 10 p.m. Tues. through Sat.; lunch only on Mon. (412-563-5687 and kouskouscafe.com).

K&T's Fish & Chicken, at 4521 Centre Ave. in Oakland, is open noon to midnight, Tues. through Thurs and Sat.; noon to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to midnight Fri. (412-621-2526).

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Harira (spicy bean soup)

PG tested

During Ramadan, "there are lots of substantial vegetarian dishes, such as this bean soup, that are sold at the food stalls and in the night markets after the sun has set," writes author Tom Kine.

He notes that you can use any combination of dried legumes and different spices in this soup, the flavors of which improve the next day. This recipe is really spicy. I wound up wishing I'd heeded the first part of his suggestion: "Serve with a spoon of cooling yogurt in the center of each bowl and lots of fresh crusty bread."

-- Bob Batz Jr.

• 1/2 cup dried chickpeas
• 1/2 cup dried cannellini beans or fava beans or butter beans
• 1/2 cup dried split green peas
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 2 small dried chilies
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 3 garlic cloves
• Oil for cooking
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 onions, finely chopped
• 8 ripe tomatoes, coarsely grated
• 1/2 cup red or yellow lentils, picked and rinsed
• Juice of 1 lemon plus a little extra to finish
• 1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro, leaves coarsely chopped
• Salt and fresh ground black pepper

Soak the chickpeas and cannellini beans overnight in plenty of cold water. The split green peas need only be soaked for 2 hours. Drain and rinse the chickpeas and beans. Put in a large pan, cover with lots of cold water, and add the baking soda. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat, and simmer for 40 to 60 minutes until the beans are cooked, but not mushy. As they are simmering, skim off any scum that rises to the top. Drain and rinse.

Meanwhile, using a pestle and mortar, grind the coriander seeds, cumin seeds and dried chilies into a fine powder. Add the cloves, cayenne pepper, ginger, and garlic, and work into a paste. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a heavy pan over medium-high heat. Add the spice mixture and cinnamon stick. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion and cook for about 10 minutes until the onion starts to brown. Add the tomato pulp; cook until any excess liquid has evaporated. Rinse the split green peas, mix into the tomato mixture with the lentils. Next add 7 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the rinsed chickpeas and beans. Mix together. Season well and add the lemon juice. Add half the cilantro. Let the soup sit off the heat for 5 minutes, then check the seasoning.

To serve, garnish with the remaining cilantro and a little extra squeeze of lemon juice.

-- "Street Food: Re-creating the World's Most Authentic Tastes" by Tom Kime (Dorling Kindersley, 2007)

Harira

PG tested

This is a very meaty, very easy, and very tasty, version of the Moroccan soup. It's also very customizable; I used lamb precut for kabobs and some smoked Spanish paprika as well.

-- Bob Batz Jr.

• 1 pound, 2 ounces lamb shoulder steaks
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 small onions, chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons hot Spanish paprika
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 cups beef stock
• 2 10 1/2-ounce cans chickpeas
• 2 14-ounce cans chopped tomatoes
• 2 large handfuls cilantro leaves, finely chopped, plus extra to garnish
• 2 large handfuls Italian parsley, finely chopped

Trim the lamb steaks of excess fat and sinew. Cut the lamb into small chunks. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, add the onion and garlic, and cook over low heat for 5 minutes, or until the onion is soft. Add the meat, increase the heat to medium, and stir until the meat changes color.

Add the cumin, paprika, and bay leaf to the pan and cook until fragrant. Add the tomato paste and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the beef stock to the pan, stir well, and bring to a boil.

Drain and rinse the chickpeas and add to the pan, along with the tomatoes, chopped cilantro, and parsley. Stir, then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2 hours, or until the meat is tender. Stir occasionally. Season, to taste. Garnish with the extra cilantro and serve with flatbread.