Chorba (Shorba)
Abuja, Nigeria · View all recipes
Overview
Chorba is the Tunisian Ramadan soup: lamb or beef in a stewed tomato base with ras el hanout, thickened with frik and finished with coriander and mint. It is eaten year round but it is a fixture on every Tunisian table through Ramadan. Its range is wider than Tunisia. Chorba, also written shorba, is made across the whole area once controlled by the Ottoman Empire, from Morocco through to Bulgaria and Croatia, and every one of those countries has its own version under a closely related name. Fish versions are popular on the Tunisian coast. Frik is what makes this one specific. Also written freekeh, it is green durum wheat harvested young and roasted, which gives it a distinctly smoky, nutty flavour that no other grain has, and it thickens the soup as it cooks. The source's prose describes bulgur wheat, which is a different product: bulgur is mature wheat, parboiled and cracked, without the smokiness. The ingredient list correctly specifies frik. Ras el hanout, preserved lemon and fresh coriander carry the rest, and the soup freezes well, which the contributor notes is worth planning for.
AFN Heritage Note
Chorba is a staple of Tunisian Ramadan meals and is made across the territory once controlled by the Ottoman Empire, from Morocco to Bulgaria and Croatia. It is thickened with frik, roasted green durum wheat.
Ingredients
Dietary tags are provided by contributors as a guide, not verified by AFN, and they depend on the products you buy. If you have a serious allergy, check every ingredient yourself. Cooking, allergies and your own judgement
Directions
- 1
With a mortar and pestle, mash together the garlic and ras el hanout.
- 2
In a large soup pot, add enough oil to cover the bottom and set the heat between medium and medium-high.
- 3
Add the garlic and spice mixture, onion, salt, black pepper, paprika, cayenne and tomato paste, and sauté for a few minutes until fragrant.
- 4
Add the meat or chicken and sauté a few minutes more, adding a little water if it starts to stick.
- 5
Add enough water to fill the pot about three quarters, or about the amount of finished soup you want. Add a little less than you think, since you can top it up as it cooks.
- 6
Add the frik and celery, reduce the heat to low and cook for approximately one hour, until the meat is tender and the soup has thickened slightly.
- 7Add the chickpeas if using
tinned towards the end just to heat through, dried at the same time as the meat.
- 8
To finish, add the coriander and mint, and serve with bread.
Africook’s Notes
- Use frik rather than bulgur. Frik is roasted green wheat with a distinctly smoky flavour; bulgur is mature parboiled wheat and gives a quite different soup.
- Start with less water than you think. The frik absorbs a great deal as it cooks and it is far easier to add than to remove.
- Keep a kettle of hot water on hand. Adding cold water partway through drops the temperature and interrupts the cook.
- Mash the garlic and ras el hanout together in a mortar before anything else. It makes a paste that disperses properly rather than sitting in clumps.
- Add the coriander and mint right at the end. Both are volatile and long cooking wastes them.
- It freezes beautifully, which is why it is worth making a large pot.
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