Bowl of Bulgur & Vegetable Soup
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Bulgur & Vegetable Soup


Tunisia   -   Borghol Jeri bil Khodrha
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 10 cups
***
2-1/4 hrs
Yes		 This is a substantial and very flavorful soup, sure to please - but most amazing - it's a North African dish you can serve to vegetarians! Maghrebis usually stuff Lamb into anything that doesn't already have Beef, Fish or Chicken. See also Comments.




1/4
2
1/2
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4
11
2-1/2
6
4
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4
1/2
1/4
3
2
2-1/2
1/2
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1/4
1/4
10
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1/4
8
1/3
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c
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oz
oz
oz
oz
oz
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cl
c
c
T
T
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t
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c
c
med
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Chickpeas   (1)
Lentils
Bulgur (2)
-- Vegetables
Fava Beans (3)
Onion
Carrot
Turnip
Celery
-- Seasonings
Garlic
Tomato Sauce (4)
Harissa (5)
Paprika
Caraway Seeds
Salt
Pepper
-- Herbs
Parsley, flat
Cilantro
Spinach Leaves
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Olive Oil, ExtV
Water
Peas, frozen
-- Serve With
Lemon Quarters (6)
Do Ahead   -   chickpeas))
  1. IF dried CHICKPEAS, soak 8 hours or overnight in 1-1/2 cup water with 1 teaspoon Salt. Drain, rinse and drain again.
  2. IF FAVA BEANS NOT frozen "double peeled", prepare as needed (see Fava Beans).
  3. IF HARISA not on hand, prepare (see Harisa)
Prep   -   (45 min work)
  1. Wash LENTILS, removing any stones.
  2. Chop ONION small.
  3. Peel CARROTS and TURNIP. Dice them and CELERY about 1/4 inch. Mix.
  4. Crush GARLIC and chop small. I grind 1/2 the Caraway Seeds so there are fewer chewy seeds in the soup. Mix together all SEASONING items.
  5. Chop all HERBS items small. Mix.
  6. Cut LEMONS lengthwise into quarters. De-seed as best you can.
RUN   -   (1-1/3 hr)
  1. In a 5 quart pot, heat Olive Oil and stir in Onions, Chickpeas (unless canned), Lentils and Bulgur. Fry stirring over moderate heat until Onions are translucent.
  2. Stir in 8 cups Water and Fava Beans (unless frozen). Bring to a boil and simmer 40 minutes.
  3. Stir in Seasoning mix. Simmer another 5 minutes.
  4. Stir in Carrot mix (and Chickpeas if canned, and Fava Beans if frozen). Continue to simmer another 20 minutes until carrots are tender.
  5. Check liquid to your desired consistency. If you add water, bring back to a boil.
  6. When nearly ready to serve, stir in Frozen Peas. Simmer 2 minutes, then stir in Herb mix and simmer another 2 minutes.
  7. Serve hot. Include Lemon Quarters on the side to be squeezed into the soup as desired.
NOTES:

  1. Chick Peas:

      Measure is for dried. Canned can be used if you are in a hurry, though dried is better. Half a 15 oz can will yield about the same as 1/4 cup dried. For details see our Chickpeas page.

  2. Bulgur:

      This is par boiled, dried and crushed wheat, NOT cracked wheat, which takes much longer to cook. I use Bulgur #2 (medium fine) of #3 (medium coarse) for this dish. For details see our Bulgur Wheat page.

  3. Fava Beans:

      Weight is after shelling and peeling for fresh or frozen beans. You will need 8 ounces of shelled beans to yield 4 ounces after peeling, or more than a pound of pods. Frozen are available skin-on and "double peeled". If you have skin-on, just give them a brief scald in boiling water and peel them (easy but tedious). Fresh, you'll have to boil just a bit longer. Clearly both labor and economics indicate frozen "double peeled". For details see our Fava Beans page.

  4. Tomato Sauce:

      Use a very simple tomato sauce without strong seasonings. I use Faraon brand "Spanish style" which comes in convenient 8 ounce cans, but other simple sauces will work - or you could use half as much Tomato Paste.

  5. Harissa:

      This is the hot sauce of Tunisia. Most canned Harissa is pretty awful - best to make it yourself - see our recipe Harissa.

  6. Lemon Quarters:

      Some may like this soup with Lemon, so you can provide Lemon Quarters (1 or 2 per person) to squeeze into the soup. We don't just stir Lemon Juice into the recipe because it would discolor the Peas and Herbs.

  7. Comments:

      The pattern recipe makes a very spicy soup which may be beyond many people. I have cut the Harissa, Paprika and Caraway seeds down from 5 Tablespoons each. Feel free to increase any of them as you wish. For the very chili adverse, cut the Harisa to 2 to 3 Tablespoons. This dish reheats well, but the green colors will be muted. For buffet, reheat it when ready to put it out, then add the Peas and Herbs.
  8. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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