Shorba frik – a tasty healthy North African soup

This is a recipe I learned from my sister-in-law which is a really tasty, filling soup often eaten during Ramadan but is delicious at any time of the year and is one of our favourites – plus it makes loads too which is great for the budget as well as perfect for busy weeks as you’ve got lunches for a good few days!

Freekeh Wheat

First up – what even is freekeh wheat?

It’s a green grain made from young durum wheat.  It’s an ancient grain (was even mentioned in the bible!).  It’s low in fat, high in protein and fibre so will help to keep you feeling full and if you compare it to brown rice, it’s said to have 3 times as much protein and twice the amount of fibre.  It’s also high in iron, calcium and zine so it’s definitely worth investigating and adding to your diet.

 

Ingredients
Makes 8 good size portions

• 4 lamb chops (you can use chicken or omit meat altogether)
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 courgette
• 2 medium carrots
• 1 carton of passata
• half a tin of chickpeas
• 75g of freekeh wheat
• a bunch of coriander
• 1 tbsp of olive oil
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1 tsp of black pepper
• 1 tsp of chilli powder
• 1 tsp of paprika
• 1 tsp of coriander powder
• 1 cinnamon stick

Step One

Place a large lidded saucepan on a medium heat.  Add the olive oil, chopped onion, meat and spices and cook for about 5 minutes stirring to combine everything together.

Step Two

Add the courgette (chop the whole thing into two pieces), the whole carrots and the carton of passata.

Step Three

Add the coriander – if you have got cooking string, bind it together to make it easier to remove later (I didn’t so I just placed it in and then removed with a fork later)

Step Four

Top up with boiling water – you want to make sure your carrots and courgette are completely covered.  I added just over 1 litre at this stage

Step Five

Put the lid on, turn the heat down to low and leave to simmer for about 30 minutes.

Step Six

Use a sharp knife to check if the courgette and carrot are soft and then remove.  Place in a bowl or jug with a bit of the soup liquid.  I also added some of the coriander too.

Step Seven

Use a stick blender to blitz up the vegetables, be careful as they are hot!  It should be quite a thick consistency.

Step Eight

Add the blended veg back into your soup and give it a good stir.  The soup should still be quite thin at this point so you may want to add a bit more hot water.

Step Nine

Before you add the rest of the ingredients, use a fork to remove the coriander.  Add the drained half tin of chickpeas to the soup.

Step Ten

Add the freekeh wheat and give it all a good stir.

Step Eleven

Put the lid back on and simmer on a low heat for another 30 minutes to allow the freekeh wheat to cook which will also thicken up the soup.

To Serve

Simply put in bowls and tuck in!!!

To store:

Allow the soup to cool down completely in the pan and then put in a tupperware or glass container and keep in the fridge.

It may thicken up overnight and when you come to have it the next day, you may want to add a bit of water – if this is the case, I put the portioned amounts back into a saucepan with a splash of water and gently reheat on the stove.

If the consistency is fine, then I reheat in the microwave!

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