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Soraya's Chorba

A hug of a stew which Soraya grew up eating during Ramadan.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time3 hours
Total Time3 hours 30 minutes
CourseDinner, Iftar
CuisineAlgerian
KeywordIftar
Servings8 people

Ingredients

  • 600 g leg of lamb cut into 2 inch chunks
  • olive oil
  • 2 long, skinny green pepper, whole
  • 1 box of flat parsley
  • 1 box of coriander
  • 1 box of fresh mint
  • 1 branch of celery
  • 1 can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 can chickpeas
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste un peu
  • 1 packet chorba spices
  • 1 stick stick of cinnamon
  • 2 large onions, diced
  • 1 lemon or lime

Serving

  • harissa a bit
  • 1-2 loaf round semolina bread

Instructions

Brown and Pre-cook the Lamb

  • Heat a large, hot heavy bottomed pot to medium-high heat. Add some olive oil and brown the lamb, turning only once it gets a nice bit of malliard action going on. Towards the end, toss in the peppers, whole.
  • When the pieces of lamb are browned all over, add the branch of celery cut into 2, the diced onion, all of the spices, and cover with water. Add the parsley, coriander and mint, and stir in. Cook at high pressure for --- minutes, and then quick release it.

Prepare the Chorba to Stew

  • When the lamb has cooked, remove thewhole peppers and celery from the pot of liquid and keep them aside. Remove the meat and put it into a bowl. Shred the meet into small pieces and keep aside. Discard the bones.
  • To the pot of liquid, add the crushed tomatoes and tomato paste, and more water. Use an immersion blender to make all of this into a smooth soup.
  • Add the shredded lamb into the smooth soup, stir to combine, cover, and cook over low heat for at least an hour.

Enjoy

  • Enjoy alongside the same feast we propose here, or simply with some round Algerian semolina bread.
  • Serve with coarsely chopped leaves of parsley and coriander, and Algerian harissa for anyone who wants a little kick.

Notes

  • ? harissa in the stew or only for along side serving?
  • chorba spices... what do i need to know/add here?
  • parsley, corriander and mint... just the whole branches?  and how much? because i think i got one bunch of each but we used for all the dishes, including garnish. 
  • need more guidance on the amount of water before and after pressure cooking
  • how long to cook the chorba the 2nd session?
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