🇱🇾 Libyan Cuisine

Shurba Freek

Freekeh Soup

Prep Time 1 hour

Servings 6

Difficulty Easy

Calories 374 kcal

A hearty soup of smoky cracked freekeh wheat simmered with lamb, tomatoes, and warming spices. This deeply nourishing Libyan soup is a Ramadan essential.

Ingredients

1 cup freekeh, rinsed
300g lamb, cubed small
1 onion, diced
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Salt and pepper
6 cups water
Fresh mint and lemon for serving

Instructions

1 Brown lamb cubes in olive oil in a large pot. Add onion and cook until softened.
2 Stir in tomato paste, chopped tomatoes, cumin, turmeric, and cinnamon. Cook 2 minutes.
3 Add water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.
4 Add rinsed freekeh, stir well, and continue simmering 25-30 minutes until freekeh is tender.
5 Season with salt and pepper. The soup should be thick and porridge-like.
6 Serve hot in bowls with a squeeze of lemon and fresh mint leaves.

Did You Know?

The smoky flavor of freekeh comes from the ancient practice of burning young green wheat in the field, a technique dating back thousands of years.