Chorba beida

Ingredients

Soup

• 600 gchicken thighs and drumsticks, on the bone, skin removed
• 2 tbspsmen or 40 g butter
• 1 tbspsunflower oil
• 2onions, grated or very finely chopped
• 150 gdried chickpeas, soaked overnight, or 250 g cooked chickpeas
• 1cinnamon stick
• 1 tspwhite pepper
• ½ tspground cinnamon
• 1 tspsalt
• 1.8 litreswater

To finish

• 120 gvermicelli (cheveux d’ange), broken short
• 1large handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 1egg
• juice of ½ lemon

To serve

• lemon wedges
• extra ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Melt the smen with the oil in a heavy pot over medium-low heat and sweat the onions for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until completely soft and still pale; chorba beida is a white soup, so no browning at any stage.
2. Add the chicken pieces, white pepper, ground cinnamon and salt and turn them in the fat for 5 minutes, keeping the heat gentle so the meat stiffens without colouring.
3. Pour in the water, add the drained chickpeas and the cinnamon stick, bring to a bare simmer and skim the grey foam carefully from the surface for the first 5 minutes.
4. Cover and simmer very gently for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the chickpeas are tender to the tooth and the meat is falling from the bone.
5. Lift out the chicken, strip the meat from the bones in large shreds and return it to the pot; discard the bones and the cinnamon stick.
6. Bring the broth back to a simmer, scatter in the vermicelli and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until just tender, stirring once so it does not clump on the base.
7. Beat the egg with the lemon juice in a bowl, ladle in two ladles of hot broth while whisking hard to temper it, then pour the mixture back into the pot off the heat, stirring in one direction.
8. Do not let the soup boil again after the egg goes in or it will curdle into threads. Stir in the parsley and serve immediately, with lemon and a dusting of cinnamon.

Technique

• The egg and lemon liaison, tahlila, is what makes it beida, white. It thickens the broth to a silky, faintly cloudy body; boiling breaks it instantly.
• Grating the onion rather than dicing it lets it dissolve into the broth, which is why the soup thickens without flour.
• This is the Algiers Ramadan soup, served the moment the fast breaks, opposite the red chorba frik of the east. Both are called chorba and families are loyal to one.

Substitutions

• No smen: use butter with a teaspoon of plain yoghurt stirred in, which mimics some of its lactic tang.
• Tinned chickpeas are fine; add them in the last 15 minutes so they do not disintegrate.

Variations

• Chorba beida bel lham uses lamb shoulder instead of poultry, simmered an hour longer.
• Some cooks add small meatballs of minced beef, cinnamon and parsley in the last 15 minutes.
• A Tlemcen version thickens the finish with ground almonds instead of egg.

History

The Algiers-style counterpart to the red chorba frik, served at weddings and on Ramadan tables.

Frequently asked questions

What is Chorba beida?

Chorba beida is a soup & stew from Algeria: white chicken soup with chickpeas, vermicelli and cinnamon, finished with egg. The Algiers-style counterpart to the red chorba frik, served at weddings and on Ramadan tables.

How long does Chorba beida take to make?

Chorba beida takes 25 min of preparation and 1 hr 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Chorba beida?

Yes, within limits. No smen: use butter with a teaspoon of plain yoghurt stirred in, which mimics some of its lactic tang. Tinned chickpeas are fine; add them in the last 15 minutes so they do not disintegrate.

What is the most important thing to get right in Chorba beida?

Do not let the soup boil again after the egg goes in or it will curdle into threads. Stir in the parsley and serve immediately, with lemon and a dusting of cinnamon.