"Harira" Traditional Moroccan Soup

My host mom, Behia, cooking in the tiny kitchen.

     A favorite memory (or memories) from Morocco: Sitting in my host family's small apartment living room around 10 p.m, snuggled in a blanket watching some Arabic soap opera or an American chick flick in English with Arabic subtitles, eating hot harira soup. "Harira" is traditional Moroccan soup with spices and ingredients typical of North Africa. This soup was so delicious, especially when made by my wonderful host mother, and it always cured my homesickness. I felt so loved and cared for in those moments; utterly content...a true sign of hospitality. They could not speak or understand English, and I could only speak a few words of Moroccan Arabic (we were taking Arabic classes for those 6 weeks, but still my Arabic was faltering), but I tried to convey to her with the few words I knew how much I loved and appreciated her (and the rest of the family's) incredible hospitality that was particularly shown through food. 

      Here is the recipe for harira. My EMU roommate, Ana, and I asked our host mother for the recipe for harira at the end of our stay in Fez--while we managed to figure out what most of the ingredients were, because of the language barrier we could not get the measurements. So this is sort of my version:

Harira: Moroccan Soup

A variation of harira (it just has a different type of noodle, Vermicelli).

- 1 Tbs. olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped (2 cups)
- 1 can diced tomatoes (15 oz. can), drained, liquid reserved
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- 1 small onion, diced and sauteed
- 1 clove of garlic, minced, maybe two if you prefer garlicy-ness 
-1/2 t. ground ginger
- 1 cinnamon stick

-1/2 t. saffron (use Goya brand in grocery store)

- 2 cups of low-sodium vegetable broth

-3 cups water

-pinch of salt and pepper

- 1 can (15 oz.) or two cups of chickpeas
-1/2 cup vermicelli
-a cup or two of cous cous (can use Moroccan cous cous or Israeli cous cous if you prefer--Israeli is larger)

Tadouria:
-2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
-¼ cup chopped cilantro
-2 Tbs. lemon juice
-1 Tbs. tomato paste

-Lemon wedges, for garnish

1. Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onion, parsley, cilantro, garlic, saffron, ginger, and cinnamon; sauté 5 minutes, or until onion is soft. Stir in tomatoes, and sauté 5 minutes more.
2. Stir in broth, chickpeas, reserved tomato liquid, and 3 cups water. Season with salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

To make Tadouira: Whisk flour with 1 cup water in bowl. Whisk in cilantro, lemon juice, and tomato paste. Stir Tadouira and vermicelli into Harira, and cook 3 minutes, or until noodles are soft. Serve with lemon wedges.

This is on our last night (from left--Ana -my EMU roommate, my host mom Behia behind her, me, our neighbor Amel and her daughter Miriam.)

Recipe submitted by Alli Eanes

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Makluba or "Upside Down"

Traveling the Middle East was an unforgettable experience. I can still remember how the sky looked the first morning in Cairo. I remember thinking, "Wow this is the Middle East." The beating yellow and red glow of the sun came up over the world and its rays illuminated the world through the dusty tan sky, all over the loud noises of the city. This is the Middle East. Fast forward a few weeks later, I am sitting on the bus along with my classmates nervously and anxiously anticipating the place I will be living for the next 4 weeks. Palestine. Honestly I didn't know anything about Palestine. I had no idea what to expect and what I found was an incredible family living under an occupation that continues to dictate their lives. Israel... Palestine... The Wall... Conflict... Peace...The Bible... Jesus... it's all here. The root of our Mennonite teachings and the people who are true peacemakers live here.

Streets of Beit Sahour Palestine 

My host family lived in an apartment style building with all of their relatives. Grandma lived upstairs, Aunt and Uncle lived across the hall, and my family Fadi~Abeer~Hana~Emily~Lina~Gina lovingly and graciously hosted us for 4 weeks even though it required extra time and money to take care of us. We were truly blessed by hospitality.

Arab families generally eat breakfast when they wake up and a large late lunch at 2 or 3 pm in the afternoon and a light snack at dinner time. They understood that in America we eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner... so everyday Abeer my host mom graciously prepared a dinner every night and breakfast every morning. Breakfast consisted of fresh hot pita with hummus, jelly, chocolate spread if we were lucky, and hard boiled eggs. We always enjoyed Arabic Coffee (Coffee~Qaweh), which was a strong cardamon tasting quick hit of caffeine.

Exploring the streets of Hebron

Supper was always warm and freshly made. My favorite dinner that I had in Palestine was Makluba.

Makluba: Rice with vegetables, meat, and nuts.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pound lamb meat
1 large cauliflower
1 large onion
2 cups rice
3 1/2 cups water or meat broth
1 tablespoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder or fresh garlic (6 cloves, crushed)
saffron (optional)
1/2 cup pine kernels, browned
1 tablespoon oil for frying
1/2 cup butter

Boil lamb in water, skimming the froth as it appears on the surface. Add salt and allspice. Cover. Let lamb simmer over moderate heat until tender. Put broth in a bowl. Set the lamb aside for later use.

Break the cauliflower into medium-sized pieces. Sprinkle with salt. Deep fry until golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper (Fry in olive oil).

Saute (with butter) onion and lamb in a large pot. Cover lamb with cauliflower then rice. Add broth or water to cover the rice. If desired, color the water with saffron.

Let it all come to a fast boil. Reduce heat. Cook covered for 40 minutes or until the rice is tender and water is absorbed. Remove from heat.

Let cool for 1/2 hour, turn pot upside down onto a large platter or a plate. Lift the pot carefully. If desired, garnish with sauteed pine kernels. Serve with yogurt and a salad if desired.

Thanks, Anna Hershey for your Middle Eastern Recipe and story! 

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 Welcome to a collection of recipes, stories, and photos that have been gathered from around the world! This blog will allow you to share recipes that you have received/learned while on your Cross Cultural journey with the broader community.  We encourage you to post a recipe with pictures (food, people, process of preparing food, etc.)  along with a story of the host family or person you received the recipe from! The sharing of stories, food and culture is a gift that should be expressed and cherished! Encourage your CC mates and others to post recipes too!