Moroccan Soup With Lentils, Chickpeas & Chicken

I had to work very hard to produce this yummy Moroccan soup. The original recipe had far too much cumin in it, which I did not know until I'd made a large batch and tasted it. 

So I began adding items (Carrots, Chicken & Rice) and adjusting spices to offset the heavy cumin flavour. Eventually I got it right and ended up with a yummy, albeit spicy, soup/stew. 

I'm afraid I have no photos of the process but on the left is the finished product. It made a huge pot which should freeze well and feed hubs and I for several meals.

Here's what I used:

2 chicken breasts cut into small stew-size chunks
3 medium carrots, cut into rounds
3 stalks of celery cut into small pieces
4 garlic cloves thinly sliced
1 Tbsp of Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 Onion, roughly chopped
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 can lentils, drained 
1 can tomatoes
1/2 lb of cauliflower flowers
6 cups of vegetable or chicken stock. I actually used turkey stock and it added a nice flavour
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. tumeric
1/2 - 1 tsp of cayenne pepper depending how spicy you like your food
1 tsp. cinammon
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 cup of uncooked rice

Optional: Omit the chicken and use vegetable broth for a vegetarian meal 

Here's what I did:

Saute the chicken pieces in hot oil until nicely browned on both sides. Remove from pan and put pieces in a large pot on the stove. Saute the onion, celery, garlic slices and carrot in the hot oil (add a bit more if needed) until the onion is soft and translucent. Toss all of this into the soup pot with the chicken.

Now add all the other ingredients except the rice. Bring to boil, reduce heat andsimmer for about 1 hour. Meantime cook the rice in a pot of water. 

When the soup is ready (the vegetables must be soft) put 1/2 cup of rice in each soup bowl and 2 cups of the soup. Serve with Naan or fresh rolls. 

Makes a very filling, nutritious and yummy soup for a cold winter evening.