Chorba frik

Ingredients

• 500 glamb shoulder or neck, cut into 1.5 cm dice, with a bone or two
• 3 tbspolive oil
• 1 tbspsmen (fermented butter) or ghee
• 1large onion, grated
• 2celery sticks with leaves, finely sliced
• 3 tbsptomato puree
• 400 gripe tomatoes, grated, or tinned chopped tomatoes
• 1 tspsweet paprika
• 1 tspground cinnamon
• 1 tspground caraway
• ½ tspcayenne
• 1 tspsalt, plus more to taste
• ½ tspblack pepper
• 150 gfrik (roasted crushed green wheat), rinsed
• 100 gcooked chickpeas
• 1.8 litreswater or light lamb stock
• 1large bunch coriander, finely chopped
• 1 tbspdried mint
• juice of ½ lemon

Directions

1. Heat the oil and smen in a heavy pot over medium-high heat and brown the lamb and bones for 6–8 minutes, until the pieces are coloured on all sides.
2. Add the grated onion and celery and cook 5 minutes, stirring, until the onion loses its raw smell and starts to catch.
3. Stir in the tomato puree, paprika, cinnamon, caraway, cayenne, salt and pepper and fry 2 minutes, until the mixture darkens and the oil runs red at the edges.
4. Add the grated tomatoes and cook 5 minutes more, until thick and jammy, then pour in the water, bring to a boil and skim the grey foam carefully.
5. Simmer covered for 30 minutes, then add the rinsed frik and the chickpeas and cook a further 20–25 minutes, stirring from the bottom every few minutes so the wheat does not stick.
6. The soup is ready when the frik grains are plump and tender but still have a slight chew, and the broth has thickened enough to coat a spoon. Loosen with hot water if it has gone claggy.
7. Stir in most of the coriander and the dried mint crushed between your palms, simmer 3 minutes, then take off the heat and sharpen with lemon juice.
8. Ladle into bowls, top with the rest of the coriander, and serve very hot with lemon wedges and bread. During Ramadan it is the first thing eaten at iftar, after the dates.

Technique

• Frik is durum wheat harvested green and roasted over fire; it tastes smoky and nutty and cannot be replaced by plain cracked wheat without losing the character of the soup.
• The soup thickens as it stands. Algerian cooks make it slightly loose, knowing it will tighten in the pot before serving.
• Skim properly at the boil. Chorba should be clear-tasting and red, not muddy.

Substitutions

• No frik? Freekeh from a Middle Eastern shop is the same grain under its Levantine name. Failing that, use coarse bulgur and add it only 12 minutes before the end.
• Vermicelli replaces the wheat in chorba beida, the pale white version.

Variations

• Chorba beida, the white Algiers version with chicken, vermicelli and no tomato.
• Chorba hamra of the east, hotter with more cayenne and heavier on the caraway.

History

Frik is green wheat harvested unripe and fire-roasted, an ancient Maghrebi preservation; the soup opens the Algerian iftar table every night of Ramadan.

Frequently asked questions

What is Chorba frik?

Chorba frik is a soup & stew from Algeria: lamb and cracked green wheat soup with tomato, coriander and mint. Frik is green wheat harvested unripe and fire-roasted, an ancient Maghrebi preservation; the soup opens the Algerian iftar table every night of Ramadan.

How long does Chorba frik take to make?

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

What can I substitute in Chorba frik?

Yes, within limits. No frik? Freekeh from a Middle Eastern shop is the same grain under its Levantine name. Failing that, use coarse bulgur and add it only 12 minutes before the end. Vermicelli replaces the wheat in chorba beida, the pale white version.