Ramadan recipes – Algerian Shorba

One of the Ramadan ’staples’ in Algerian homes is Shorba Frik which is basically a kind of Minestrone soup with burghul/cracked wheat (a.k.a. frik) instead of pasta.

Shorba Frik is often accompanied by Borek – the Algerian version of samosa or spring roll or bread.

My simple recipe for Shorba is as follows:

Ingredients:

1 onion, peeled and quartered

1 medium carrot, washed and halved (no need to peel)

1 small courgette/zucchini

small piece of green pepper/capsicum

a few lamb chops

6 fresh tomatoes, peeled OR 1 tin plum tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato concentrate

salt, pepper, sprinkle cinnamon

1.5 litres water

Method:

• Throw all the above ingredients into the pressure cooker as they are, no need for chopping or dicing. Put the lid on and pressure cook until the meat and vegetables are soft.
• Carefully remove the pieces of meat and then puree the soup with a handheld blender or pour into a jug blender.
• Return to a gentle heat and proceed to remove the meat from the bone and break up into fairly small pieces and return meat to pan. Add 1/2 tin of chickpeas and 2 handfuls of cracked wheat/burghul – the fine variety is better. Add more water as and when necessary.
• Simmer until the chickpeas are softened and the burghul is cooked. Remember to stir occasionally so the burghul doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
• Just before serving stir in some chopped coriander and garnish with additional chopped coriander. Serve with quarters of lemon.

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