Recipe by Essediya Magboul (Moroco)
Serves: 4-6
150 g dried chickpeas
1 tsp smen (salted preserved butter)
150 g lamb and/or veal chunks
4 tbsps minced celery
2 tbsps minced coriander, plus extra for garnish
2 tbsps minced parsley
1 onion, minced
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cinnamon stick
salt
tomato concentrate (optional)
5 l water
2 tbsps flour
1 handful broken spaghetti
1 egg, beaten
Preparation time: 2 hours plus soaking overnight
Soak the chickpeas overnight, then rub them with your hands to remove the skins.
Heat the smen in a large saucepan, then add the meat, chickpeas, celery, coriander, onion, tomato sauce, turmeric, coriander, ginger, pepper, cinnamon and salt. If desired, add some tomato concentrate, which will give the soup more acidity. Pour over the water and leave to cook over medium heat for 40 minutes.
Stir the flour into a little cold water to obtain a thin paste.
After the soup has cooked for 40 minutes, check to see if the meat is cooked. When it is cooked, add the flour mixture and the broken spaghetti, then continue to cook, stirring constantly to prevent lumps and make sure soup does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Continue cooking until foam forms on the surface, showing that the soup is thickened.
Add the beaten egg and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to sit for a few minutes before transferring to a serving bowl. Top with chopped coriander and serve immediately.