Shorba, Eritrean Barley and Vegetable Soup
Shorba is the spiced soup that breaks the daily fast during Ramadan in the Eritrean and Ethiopian lowlands, a warming, filling bowl set out the moment the sun goes down. Unlike the red lentil shorba of the highlands, this version is built on barley, the chewy whole grain that has grown across the Horn of Africa for millennia and gives the soup real heft. Berbere and cumin bloomed in toasted tomato paste supply the warmth, a handful of red lentils melts in to thicken the broth, and carrot and potato round it out into a meal. It costs very little to make a large pot, keeps and reheats well, and needs nothing but a squeeze of lemon at the end to taste complete. Barley is among the cheapest and most filling grains in the store, which is exactly why a soup like this has fed people through long fasts for so long.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Hulled barley, rinsed
- 1/4 cup Red lentils, rinsed
- 1 whole Yellow onions, diced
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 2 wholes Carrots, diced
- 1 whole Potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 tbsp Tomato paste
- 1 cup Canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 tbsp Berbere
- 1 tsp Cumin seed, ground
- 2 tbsp Lemon juice
- 1/4 cup Cilantro, chopped
Method
- Sweat the onion in a pot with a few tablespoons of water until soft and gold, about 8 minutes, then add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Water softens the onion into the sweet base the soup rests on, no oil required.
- Push the onion aside and toast the tomato paste in the bare pot until it darkens to brick red, about 2 minutes, then stir in the berbere and cumin and let them sizzle 30 seconds. Toasting the paste and blooming the spices in the dry heat is where the depth comes from, turning raw powder into round, warm heat.
- Add the barley, red lentils, carrot, potato, crushed tomatoes, and 7 cups (1.7 L) water. Bring to a boil, then simmer partly covered for about 45 minutes, until the barley is tender and chewy and the soup has thickened.
- The barley is the heart of the bowl, staying pleasantly chewy while the red lentils quietly dissolve and thicken the broth, so no flour or cream is needed to give it body. Add a splash of water if it thickens faster than the barley softens.
- Off the heat, stir in the lemon juice and cilantro. Reach for more lemon rather than salt: the acid brightens the berbere and makes the soup taste fully seasoned. It thickens further as it sits and reheats well, so it is worth making the full pot.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 180 calories, 7 g protein, 8 g fiber, 70 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
