Traditional chorba frik: the Algerian green wheat soup with lamb, tomato, chickpeas and cilantro

There is no Ramadan table in Algeria without chorba. It is with this hot, comforting soup that the fast is broken at sunset, preparing the stomach for the rest of dinner, alongside fried boureks and dates. The most traditional version from the north and east of the country is chorba frik, thickened with green wheat harvested before ripening and toasted, which gives a smoky flavor and a whole-grain texture.

Frik, or freekeh, has been eaten in the Maghreb and the Levant for millennia, and is found today in Arab grocery stores and grain shops. The soup begins with a sauté of diced lamb, grated onion, tomato paste, ras el hanout and cinnamon, into which go water, chickpeas and the frik, which cooks until it thickens the broth. Fresh cilantro and lemon go in at the end.

It is a one-hour soup, simple, and every family has its own measure of spices. Outside Ramadan, it is the winter dinner of every Algerian home.

Recipe card

• Origin: Algeria
• Category: Soup, starter or main course
• Difficulty: Easy
• Preparation time: 20 minutes
• Cooking time: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 400 g lamb (shoulder or leg) in 1.5 cm cubes
• 1 large onion, grated
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 ripe tomatoes, grated
• 1 cup cooked chickpeas
• 1 cup frik (toasted green wheat), rinsed
• 1 teaspoon ras el hanout
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 celery stalk with leaves, chopped (optional)
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro (plus more to serve)
• 1.8 liters water
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Salt to taste
• 1 dried mint leaf, crumbled (optional)

Method

1. In a pot, heat the olive oil and sauté the meat with the grated onion on medium for 8 minutes, until browned.
2. Add the tomato paste, ras el hanout, cinnamon, paprika and pepper and sauté for 2 minutes.
3. Add the grated tomatoes, celery and half the cilantro and cook for 5 minutes.
4. Pour in the water, add the chickpeas and salt, bring to a boil, lower the heat and cook covered for 30 minutes.
5. Add the frik and cook for another 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the grain is tender and the soup thickens.
6. Add the rest of the cilantro, the mint and the lemon, taste for salt and serve very hot with more cilantro and lemon.

Tips and variations

• Rinse the frik in several changes of water to remove the dust from toasting and any small stones.
• Without frik, use wheat berries, barley or coarse bulgur, with a different flavor.
• Chorba beida, the white soup, is the version without tomato, with chicken, vermicelli and lemon.
• Chicken or beef chorba follows the same recipe.
• The soup thickens as it cools; when reheating, add water.
• Ras el hanout varies a lot by brand; start with little and adjust.
• Serve with bourek (meat and egg pastries) and bread for a complete Ramadan table.

Chorba frik is red, fragrant with cinnamon and cilantro, with green wheat in every spoonful. It is the soup that gathers Algeria at sunset and warms any winter night.