Harira Spicy bean soup

Serves 6
½ cup dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
½ cup dried cannellini beans or fava beans
or butter beans
½ cup dried split green peas
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
2 small dried chilies
1 tsp ground cloves
½ tsp cayenne pepper
2in (5cm) piece of fresh ginger, peeled
and grated
3 garlic cloves
olive oil for cooking
1 cinnamon stick
3 onions, finely chopped
8 ripe tomatoes, coarsely grated (see tip
in method on p173)
½ cup red or yellow lentils, picked and rinsed
juice of 1 lemon plus a little extra to finish
½ bunch of fresh cilantro, leaves coarsely
chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1Soak the chickpeas and cannellini beans overnight in plenty of cold water.
The split green peas need only be soaked for 2 hours. Drain and rinse the
chickpeas and beans. Put in a large pan, cover with lots of cold water, and add
the baking soda. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat, and simmer
for 40–60 minutes until the beans are cooked, but not mushy. As they are
simmering, skim off any scum that rises to the top. Drain and rinse.
2Meanwhile, using a pestle and mortar, grind the coriander seeds, cumin
seeds, and dried chilies into a fine powder. Add the cloves, cayenne pepper,
ginger, and garlic, and work into a paste. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a heavy pan over
medium-high heat. Add the spice mixture and cinnamon stick. Cook for
2 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant. Reduce the heat to medium, add the
onion, and cook for about 10 minutes until the onion starts to brown. Add the
tomato pulp; cook until any excess liquid has evaporated. Rinse the split green
peas, mix into the tomato mixture with the lentils. Next add 7 cups water. Bring to
a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the rinsed chickpeas
and beans. Mix together. Season well and add the lemon juice. Add half the
cilantro. Let the soup sit off the heat for 5 minutes, then check the seasoning.
3To serve, garnish with the remaining cilantro and a little extra squeeze of
lemon juice. This soup can be eaten hot or warm at any time of the year.