Ingredients
| 3 tablespoons olive oil | |
| 175g trimmed stewing lamb or beef, cut into about 1cm pieces | |
| 1 red or yellow onion, finely chopped | |
| 2 cloves garlic, minced | |
| 3 ripe tomatoes, halved crosswise and grated, peel discarded | |
| 2 heaped tablespoons double concentrated tomato purée | |
| ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon | |
| ½ teaspoon ground ginger | |
| ½ teaspoon ground turmeric | |
| cayenne pepper, to taste | |
| 100g (½ cup) canned chickpeas, rinsed or cooked dried chickpeas | |
| 2 heaped tablespoons finely chopped flat-leafed parsley | |
| 2 tablespoons finely chopped coriander | |
| 100g (about ½ cup) orzo or another small soup pasta | |
| 1 heaped tablespoon dried mint | |
| salt and pepper | |
| lemon wedges, to serve |
This soup with lamb, dried mint and plenty of spices is considered something of a national dish and often referred to as shorba libiya, ‘Libyan soup’. Versions vary from kitchen to kitchen, but one of the key constants is adding a generous amount of dried mint at the very end, and it is usually spicy. During Ramadan, it can be found almost nightly on tables.
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Instructions
| 1. | Add the oil, lamb and onion to a soup pot, season with salt and pepper and cook over a high heat for 8–10 minutes until the meat is browned and the onion begins to soften. |
| 2. | Stir in the garlic, then add the tomatoes, tomato purée and 4 tablespoons water. |
| 3. | Add the cinnamon, ginger, turmeric and cayenne pepper and cook for 2–3 minutes. |
| 4. | Pour in 750ml (3 cups) of hot water, cover with a lid and simmer for 30 minutes. |
| 5. | Add the chickpeas, parsley and coriander. Pour in 500ml (2 cups) of hot water, cover again and simmer for 15–30 minutes until the meat is tender. |
| 6. | Add the pasta, increase the heat slightly and boil for 8–10 minutes until tender. Stir in the mint. |
| 7. | Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with lemon wedges to squeeze over the top. |
This is an edited extract
from The North African
Cookbook by Jeff
Koehler, photography
by Simon Bajada,
published by Phaidon,
$80, phaidon.com.