Tunisian Food Soups

Chorba Frik: Tunisian Lamb and Freekeh Soup Recipe

Name: Chorba Frik (Tunisian Lamb and Freekeh Soup)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 105 min
Ingredients: 500 g lamb shoulder (cut into 2 cm pieces); 3 tbsp olive oil; 1 onion (grated); 3 garlic cloves (crushed); 2 tbsp tomato paste; 1 tbsp harissa (or to taste); 1 tsp ground coriander; 1 tsp ground caraway; 1/2 tsp ground turmeric; 1 tsp sweet paprika; 1 celery stick (finely chopped, with leaves); 2 L water (hot); 240 g cooked chickpeas (1 tin, drained); 150 g frik (cracked green wheat (freekeh)); 1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt; 1/2 tsp black pepper; 1 tbsp dried mint; fresh coriander (a small handful, chopped); 1 lemon (in wedges); crusty bread (to serve)

Small pieces of lamb, tomato and harissa simmered with chickpeas and cracked green wheat, then finished with dried mint and lemon. Tunisia’s Ramadan soup.

Serves

Calories

430 kcal

Cuisine

Tunisian

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Bowl of Tunisian chorba frik, a thick lamb and tomato soup with cracked green wheat and chickpeas, topped with dried mint and coriander

On this page: What is it · History · What you need · Step by step · Serving & storage · Recipe card

Chorba frik is a thick Tunisian soup of lamb, tomato and frik, young green wheat that is roasted and cracked. It is spicy from harissa, earthy from caraway and coriander, and finished with a handful of dried mint.

During Ramadan it is the first thing on the table when the fast breaks, and in winter it simmers in homes and small restaurants all over the country. We ate a lot of it during our winter in Tunisia, and it is the soup we missed most when we left.

It takes about an hour and a half, almost all of it hands-off.

What Is Chorba Frik?

Chorba (also written shorba or shorbat) simply means soup. Frik is durum wheat harvested while still green, roasted and cracked. It gives the soup a smoky flavour and a slightly creamy body as it cooks.

The Tunisian version is red and fairly spicy: tomato paste and harissa go in early with the lamb, along with ground coriander and caraway, the two spices behind tabil, Tunisia’s everyday spice mix. Chickpeas and celery are common, and dried mint goes in at the end.

It is served in deep bowls with lemon on the side and bread for dipping. In Algeria a close cousin is made with more herbs and often without harissa.

A Little History

Serving chorba frik into bowls on a Tunisian iftar table with dates, milk, bread and brik

Frik has been made across North Africa and the eastern Mediterranean for centuries. Harvesting wheat green and roasting it was a way to get food from the fields early and keep it through the year.

In Tunisia, chorba frik is tied to Ramadan more than to any other time of year. After a day of fasting, families usually break the fast with dates and water or milk, then a bowl of chorba, often followed by brik.

Fish chorba is popular on the coast, but lamb chorba frik is the classic version for the Ramadan table.

Planning a trip, or just back from one? Our Tunisian food guide covers what to eat, and the Tunisia travel and food guide covers where to stay and what to explore.

At a glance

Serves

Calories

430 kcal

Protein

27 g

Course

Soup, Main

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Why it works

01 Big flavour from simple pantry spices

02 Freekeh thickens the soup naturally

03 Freezes well, so make a big pot

Two bowls of Tunisian chorba frik soup with lemon wedges, bread and dates, seen from above

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What You Need

Exact amounts are in the recipe card

For the Soup

lamb shoulder, cut into 2 cm pieces
olive oil
onion, grated
garlic cloves, crushed
tomato paste
harissa, or to taste
ground coriander
ground caraway
ground turmeric
sweet paprika
celery stick, finely chopped, with leaves
water, hot
cooked chickpeas, 1 tin, drained
frik, cracked green wheat (freekeh)
fine sea salt
black pepper

To Finish

dried mint
fresh coriander, a small handful, chopped
lemon, in wedges
crusty bread, to serve

Ingredients for chorba frik: diced lamb, cracked freekeh, chickpeas, onion, garlic, celery, tomato paste, harissa, spices, dried mint, coriander and lemon

Step-by-Step Instructions

Brown the lamb, build the red base, then let the soup simmer. Most of the time is hands-off.

Small pieces of lamb browning in olive oil with grated onion in a heavy pot

1. Brown the lamb

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the lamb and grated onion and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring, until the meat is browned and the onion is soft.

Tomato paste, harissa and spices stirred into browned lamb for chorba frik

2. Add the tomato and spices

Lower the heat. Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, harissa, coriander, caraway, turmeric and paprika and cook for 2 minutes until the paste darkens and smells toasty.

Tip: Frying the tomato paste and spices in the oil before adding water gives the soup its deep red colour and rounder flavour.

Lamb and tomato broth simmering with chickpeas and celery for chorba frik

3. Simmer with chickpeas

Add the celery, hot water, chickpeas, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, skim if needed, then cover and simmer gently for 45 minutes until the lamb is almost tender.

Cracked green wheat being added to simmering lamb and tomato soup

4. Add the frik

Rinse the frik in a sieve and stir it into the pot. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring every few minutes so it does not catch on the bottom, until the grains are soft and the soup has thickened.

Tip: Frik keeps absorbing liquid. If the soup gets too thick, add a splash of hot water; it should be spoonable, not stodgy.

Dried mint crumbled over finished chorba frik with coriander and lemon

5. Finish with mint

Taste and adjust the salt and harissa. Turn off the heat, crumble in the dried mint and stir. Serve with chopped coriander, lemon wedges and bread.

Serving & Storage

Serving

Serve chorba frik hot in deep bowls, with a lemon wedge to squeeze in at the table and plenty of bread. For a Ramadan-style table, start with dates and water or milk, then the soup, then brik.

A little extra harissa loosened with olive oil on the side lets everyone set their own heat.

Storing Leftovers

Cool the soup and keep it in airtight containers in the fridge. It thickens a lot as it sits; thin it with hot water when reheating.

Chorba frik	up to 4 days
Freezer	up to 3 months
Uncooked frik	6 months in a sealed jar

Reheat gently on the hob, stirring, and add a fresh pinch of dried mint before serving.

Chorba Frik (Tunisian Lamb and Freekeh Soup)

Small pieces of lamb, tomato and harissa simmered with chickpeas and cracked green wheat, then finished with dried mint and lemon. Tunisia’s Ramadan soup.

Course Main Course, Soup

Cuisine Tunisian

Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1 30

Total Time 1 45

Servings servings

Calories 430

Equipment

Large heavy pot with a lid
Grater
Wooden spoon
Ladle

Ingredients

Soup

500 g lamb shoulder cut into 2 cm pieces
3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion grated
3 garlic cloves crushed
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp harissa or to taste
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground caraway
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 celery stick finely chopped, with leaves
2 L water hot
240 g cooked chickpeas 1 tin, drained
150 g frik cracked green wheat (freekeh)
1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

To Finish

1 tbsp dried mint
fresh coriander a small handful, chopped
1 lemon in wedges
crusty bread to serve

No frik? Use the same weight of cracked freekeh from a Middle Eastern shop. Bulgur works in a pinch but cooks faster, so add it for the last 15 minutes and expect less smoky flavour.

For a lighter version, use chicken thighs instead of lamb and simmer for 25 minutes before adding the frik.

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the lamb and grated onion and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring, until the meat is browned and the onion is soft.
Lower the heat. Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, harissa, coriander, caraway, turmeric and paprika and cook for 2 minutes until the paste darkens and smells toasty.
Add the celery, hot water, chickpeas, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, skim if needed, then cover and simmer gently for 45 minutes until the lamb is almost tender.
Rinse the frik in a sieve and stir it into the pot. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring every few minutes so it does not catch on the bottom, until the grains are soft and the soup has thickened.
Taste and adjust the salt and harissa. Turn off the heat, crumble in the dried mint and stir. Serve with chopped coriander, lemon wedges and bread.