Saffron Lamb Harira with Egg Ribbons

Method

1. The night before, rinse the chickpeas, cover them with three times their volume of cold water and leave to soak for 12 hours. Drain and rinse. For an extra-silky soup, rub them between your palms in a bowl of water and skim off the loose skins.

   Add in this stepDried chickpeas 60 g

2. Pat the lamb dry with paper towel and season with the first portion of salt. Heat the first portion of ghee in a 3.5 L heavy pot over medium-high heat and brown the lamb on all sides, without moving it too often, until deep golden, 6 min in total. If the pieces touch, brown them in two lots so they colour instead of steaming.

   Add in this stepBone-in lamb shoulder or neck, in 4 cm pieces 200 gGhee (or smen) 11 gSalt ¼ tsp

   medium-high heat

3. Turn the heat down to medium heat. Crumble in the saffron and add the onion, celery, ginger, turmeric, pepper, cinnamon and half of the coriander and parsley. Cook for 6 min, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom, until the onion is soft and golden at the edges.

   Add in this stepSaffron threads 1 pinchOnion 100 gCelery stalk with leaves 40 gGround ginger ½ tspGround turmeric ½ tspBlack pepper ½ tspGround cinnamon 1 pinchFresh coriander 7.5 gFlat-leaf parsley 7.5 g

   medium heat

4. Push everything to one side, put the tomato paste in the empty spot and fry it until brick red, then stir in the grated tomato. Cook on medium heat for 6 min, until thick and jammy and the fat starts to shine on the surface.

   Add in this stepTomato paste 1 tbspRipe tomatoes, grated 300 g

   medium heat

5. Add the soaked chickpeas and the water and bring to a boil on high heat. Skim off the foam, then lower to medium-low heat, cover and simmer for 1 h, until a chickpea crushes easily between your fingers and the lamb is almost falling off the bone.

   Add in this stepWater 1,200 ml

   high heat→medium-low heat

6. Add the lentils and rice and simmer, partly covered, on medium-low heat for 25 min, stirring from the bottom now and then. Lift out the lamb, pull the meat off the bones in bite-size pieces, discard the bones and gristle, and return the meat to the pot.

   Add in this stepGreen or brown lentils 40 gShort-grain rice 15 g

   medium-low heat

7. Whisk the flour into the cold water until perfectly smooth and pour it into the soup in a thin stream while stirring. Simmer on medium-low heat for 5 min, stirring, until silky and the raw-flour taste has gone. Beat the eggs, then drizzle them slowly over the gently bubbling soup while stirring in slow circles, and leave a moment until they set into soft, fully opaque ribbons. Stir in the remaining herbs, salt and ghee.

   Add in this stepPlain flour 20 gCold water (for the flour paste) 120 mlEggs 1Fresh coriander 7.5 gFlat-leaf parsley 7.5 gSalt ½ tspGhee (or smen) 4.5 g

   medium-low heat

8. Taste, adjust the salt and pepper and serve piping hot with lemon wedges and dates on the side.

   Add in this stepLemon ½Dates, to serve 4