This recipe serves 20. It can easily be divided or multiplied. (For Nashuva, I multiplied it 15 times). This version is vegan, though you could replace the water with chicken stock, or even add shreds of cooked chicken, as Meme Suissa does.
Ingredients
- 2 large onions finely diced, about 4 cups
- 2 cups diced celery and celery leaves
- ½ cup olive oil plus more for garnish
- 8 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tbsp dried ginger
- 3 tsp black pepper
- 4 tsp turmeric
- 2 tsp toasted and ground cumin
- 1-2 tsp dried red chile flakes
- 2 3-inch piece cinnamon stick, ground, or 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 8 cups diced ripe tomato fresh or canned
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- Salt
- 4 cup red lentils rinsed
- 2 cup dried chickpeas soaked overnight
- 1/2 pound angel hair pasta or vermicelli broken into 1-inch pieces or 6 tbsp cooked white rice
Garnishes
- Lemon wedges
- EVOO olive oil
- chopped parsley
- chopped cilantro
- fresh dill chopped
- harissa
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed soup pot. Saute onion and celery until softened, about 20 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, pepper, turmeric, cumin, red pepper flakes, and cinnamon. Cook until the spices smell fragrant, about 3 minutes.
- Add tomato and tomato paste and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook, stirring until mixture thickens somewhat, then add 2 1/2 teaspoons salt, lentils, and garbanzos. Add 16 cups of water.
- Bring to a boil, then partially cover and lower to a simmer.
- After one hour, taste for salt, pepper, and other spices. Add rice. Cook for another hour, adding more water to keep the consistency like cream. The beans should be very soft.
- Serve, and encourage your guests to garnish the soup with lemon, herbs, harissa, and olive oil.
