Lentils are a frequent ingredient in Moroccan soups and stews for good reason. Lentils are inexpensive, nutritious, and, most importantly, delicious. That, and memories of my childhood, make lentil soup one of my favorites. Lentil soup can be prepared a day or more in advance, and can either be a side dish or a meal in itself.



I stopped by my childhood school when I visited my home of Oujda, Morocco in 2007. I was amazed to find that my classroom was virtually unchanged from when I was a child. The same uncomfortable desks were still there with the same dusty blackboard. When the school bell rang for lunch, it was a stampede for the door. No one stayed for lunch—we didn’t have lunch at our school. Instead, we all walked home for lunch. When I was growing up in Oujda, restaurants were few and far between (and expensive), so the narrow streets were already crowded and busy with adults headed home for lunch. Some would stop at shops and by fruits or other items to have with their lunch.

I remember one particular day vividly. I don’t really know why, but it could be because the sky was unusually blue that day with little clouds floating around. My friends, Mama, Karima, Latifa, and I were walking home together, as we did every day, talking about school and studying for an upcoming test.  My home was about one mile away, in the heart of Oujda’s old city, called the “medina.” The house had been in my mom’s family for generations and reflected the Moorish architecture of old Morocco. There were huge arches overlooking an inner courtyard that was open to the sky. I just remember it being comfortable, airy, and, well, just home.

Like every other day when I came home from school for lunch, the very first thing I would do would when I walked into the house would be to yell out “Ma?!” My mom (“Ma”) was well accustomed to that and knew it was my abbreviated way of asking what she or my grandmother had made for lunch. She would almost immediately answer back with what had been prepared along with the admonition to wash my hands before coming to the dining table. We sat on cushions on the floor around a low round table in what would be the equivalent of a family room in an American home.

I hurriedly washed my hands and took my usual spot on a cushion that was on the floor right next to my mother.  The rest of my family—my brother, my two sisters, my grandmother—were already gathered around the table. In the middle of the table, right next to loaves of crusty Moroccan bread, was a big blue bowl filled with my one of my favorite lunches: lentil soup. Each one of us had a spoon and we all ate from the same bowl. Even though lentil soup was one of my favorites, I had a bit of a love-hate relationship with it. It seemed like almost every time I ate it, I would inevitably bite into a big chunk of garlic. I remember asking my mom not to put so much garlic in it the next time. I’m not sure if she ever really listened or not…

Ingredients

• 1 large chopped onion
• 4 garlic cloves, minced (finely, so no one bites into a big chunk)
• 8 cups water
• 2 cups dried lentils
• 2 tomatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

Directions

• In a large pot, saute the onion, parsley, and garlic in olive oil for 5 minutes.
• Add the spices, tomatoes, lentils, and water, gently mixing until blended.
• Bring to a boil for 5 minutes and then simmer covered approximately 1 hour or until the lentils are soft.
• Serves 6 to 8.