Recipe for Harira (posted by Elaine)

Harira comes from the Maghreb of which Morocco is a part.  The Harira is the

national soup of Morocco.  It is eaten during the 30 days of Ramadan, along

with dates or honey sweeties. Harira can be eaten all year, but it is the

traditional breakfast at sunset for Ramadan.  During Ramadan, garlic is

forbidden and so the Harira on Ramadan contains no garlic.  

There are many recipes for harira, but they all contain beans and lentils,

tomatoes, cilantro and pasta.  It should be velvety and not thick.  Here is

one recipe for Harira:

Ingredients :

1 cup Dried chick-peas, (garbanzo beans), soaked overnight

1 lb Stewing lamb, cut into cubes

1/2 lb Chicken wings or giblets

2 lrg Onions, peeled and chopped

2/3 cup Brown lentils

1 tsp Turmeric

1/2 tsp Ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp Paprika

5 1/2 pt Water

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup Rice

1/4 cup Chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 cup Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tbl Finely chopped celery stalks

1 lb Ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped

2 tsp Tomato paste

1 x Heaped tablespoon all-purpose flour

2 x lemons

Method : 

*                       Drain the chick-peas

<http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/g.cgi?g=994&r=126004>  and put them in a

large soup pan with the lamb

<http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/g.cgi?g=1184&r=126004> , chicken

<http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/g.cgi?g=1533&r=126004> , onions

<http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/g.cgi?g=1034&r=126004> , and lentils

<http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/g.cgi?g=1168&r=126004> . Add the turmeric

<http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/g.cgi?g=704&r=126004> , cinnamon

<http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/g.cgi?g=1513&r=126004> , and paprika

<http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/g.cgi?g=1010&r=126004>  and pour in 5

pints of the water. Add salt

<http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/g.cgi?g=857&r=126004>  and pepper

<http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/g.cgi?g=985&r=126004> . 

* Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer gently for about

1 1/2 hours. Then add the rice, cilantro

<http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/g.cgi?g=1514&r=126004> , parsley

<http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/g.cgi?g=1005&r=126004> , celery

<http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/g.cgi?g=1566&r=126004> , tomatoes

<http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/g.cgi?g=724&r=126004> , and

<http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/g.cgi?g=134&r=126004> tomato

<http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/g.cgi?g=724&r=126004>  paste. Cook for

another 20 minutes or until the rice is cooked. 

* Stir the remaining 1/2 pint water slowly into the

flour <http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/g.cgi?g=1348&r=126004>  to make a

smooth cream <http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/g.cgi?g=1464&r=126004> , then

add this to the soup, stirring gently until the soup starts to bubble again.

* To serve, cut the lemons

<http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/g.cgi?g=1170&r=126004>  into quarters and

serve on the side of the bowls of hot soup. 

* NOTES : This is served at sunset to break the daily

fast observed between sunrise and sunset over the 30 days of Ramadan.

Recipes vary from family to family and from region to region and it can be

made without the meat.

The soup is made in 2 phases:

1.      The boullion or bubbling phase-1.5 hours of cooking

2.      Tedouira phase-1 hour of cooking

Shall we make some harira and try it as a class?

Elaine

 

شيعي Shi’a Islam

Shi’a is taken from the phrase شيعة علي meaning “follower” or “faction of Ali”. In 632 the Islamic prophet Muhammad -محمد died and no clear successor was apparent. His followers recognized that someone was needed to continue the civil aspects of Muhammad’s activities. To this end they looked to the man who sometimes led prayer when Muhammad was indisposed. He was the person who “stood in front” -إمام. This man was Abu Bakr, Muhammad’s father-in-law.

By the time of the deaths of Umar and Uthman, Muhammad’s second and Third successors, fractures in the Muslim community were becoming apparent. It was in this atmosphere of discontent that Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law Ali established himself as the caliph, or leader of Islam. These four leaders became known as the “Four Rightly Guided Caliphs”-الخلفاء الراشدون. According to Shi’a Islam, Ali should have been the first successor to Muhammad. In 680 Ali’s son Ali Husain, the grandson of Muhammad, was invited to Iraq to become Caliph. He got no support, and was beseiged and killed. The date of his death, Ashura-عاشوراء, has become the most important date in the calendar of the “Partisans of Ali”.

Today there are an estimated 130-190 million Shiites and they make up 10%-15% of all Muslims. They constitute a majority in Iran and Iraq. There are also sizeable populations in Yemen, Syria, and Lebanon. Alawites and Druzes consider themselves Shias, although this is sometimes disputed by mainstream Shias. In Saudi Arabia Shiites are called “accaf” which means rejectors, and suffer discrimination.

The majority of Shiites in the world today are known as Twelvers. The central belief of the Twelvers is the disapperance from view of the last imam, who is also the twelfth and current imam, or Mahdi. They believe The Twelfth Imam is considered to be the only legitimate and just ruler, and therefore no political action can be taken in his absence.