Chorba
Chorba is a spicy meat and vegetable soup, typical of the Maghreb. This is my own personal version.
148 K 4.5/5 (10 reviews)
2 hours 8 min.
Easy
6 people
16 IngredientsLast modified on: May 4th 2012
For 6 people, you will need:
- 1
1 onion - 2
2 cloves garlic - 3
3 carrots - 4
2 turnips - 5
300 g cauliflower - 6
200 g chicken breast - 7
5 tablespoons olive oil - 8
30 g spices for couscous - 9
70 g tomato paste - 10
1 litre 500 ml water - 11
150 g tinned (canned) chickpeas - 12
150 g vermicelli - 13
fresh coriander (cilantro) - 14
1 lemon - 15
salt - 16
pepper - Total weight: 3,470 grams
Change measures:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 60 min.
Cooking: 1 hour 15 min.
All in all: 2 hours 8 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 10 min.
Stage 3 - 10 min.
Peel and wash 2 turnips, then grate.
Stage 4 - 15 min.
Wash 300 g cauliflower and only keep the small florets.
Stage 5 - 5 min.
Cut 200 g chicken breast into small dice.
Stage 6 - 3 min.
Heat 5 tablespoons olive oil in a large pan and add the chopped onion and garlic clove, salt and pepper.
Cook without colouring.
Cook without colouring.
Stage 7 - 2 min.
Add the carrots, turnip and cauliflower. Mix well.
Stage 8 - 2 min.
Stage 9 - 3 min.
Cook like this (dry) for 2 or 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
Stage 10 - 1 hour
Stage 11 - 3 min.
After this, remove the garlic clove and discard, then add 150 g tinned (canned) chickpeas...
Stage 12 - 5 min.
...and 150 g vermicelli.
Leave to cook for a further 5 minutes (check the cooking time of the pasta on the paquet).
Check seasoning.
Leave to cook for a further 5 minutes (check the cooking time of the pasta on the paquet).
Check seasoning.
Stage 13
Serve piping hot with a generous squeeze of lemon juice and a sprinkling of chopped fresh coriander.
Remarks
As with any "regional" recipe, please remember that this is only ONE chorba recipe and not THE chorba recipe.
The proportions are for guidance, so do vary them to your own taste.
The diced chicken can be either raw or cooked (as in the photos) and this is a good way to use up leftovers.
If you can't find a ready-made mix of couscous spices, you can make your own from: cumin, coriander (ground), cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom and turmeric. Paprika, cloves and caraway are also sometimes used.
The proportions are for guidance, so do vary them to your own taste.
The diced chicken can be either raw or cooked (as in the photos) and this is a good way to use up leftovers.
If you can't find a ready-made mix of couscous spices, you can make your own from: cumin, coriander (ground), cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom and turmeric. Paprika, cloves and caraway are also sometimes used.
And to drink?
An Algerian red wine, one from the Medea region, for example, or any other full-bodied red.
Keeping: A few days in the fridge in a covered container.
Source: Home made.
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 90 RDI=30 % | 250 RDI=20 % | 100 RDI=10 % | 2,200 RDI=110 % | 9,210 RDI: 110 % |
| Per 100 g | 2 RDI=1 % | 7 RDI=1 % | 2 RDI=0 % | 60 RDI=3 % | 270 RDI: 3 % |
| Per person | 10 RDI=6 % | 40 RDI=4 % | 20 RDI=2 % | 370 RDI=20 % | 1,540 RDI: 20 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 6 people : 8.70 €
- Per person : 1.45 €
Change currency: 
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
Water
Like these other recipes: Quick courgette soup with cheese, Blackcurrant liqueur, Seeded loaf, Mustard baps, How to use gelatin, ... See them all 135
Cauliflower
Like these other recipes: Roscoff salad, Creamy cauliflower and avocado salad, Harvest Gratin, Thaï rice with small vegetables, Cauliflower, red bean and avocado salad, ... See them all 49
Chicken breast
Like these other recipes: Chilli chicken and spinach gratin, Chinese style chicken, Lille style chicken, Thai-style Chicken with Cashew Nuts, Chicken breasts in a potato crust, ... See them all 29
Tinned (canned) chickpeas
Like these other recipes: Couscous, Cauliflower and chickpea salad, Hummus, Mixed vegetable curry, Chickpea salad, ... See them all 10
Other recipes you may also like
Marchand de vin sauce
The rich "marchand de vin" sauce, made with red wine and shallot, is a classic accompaniment for meats that is traditionally made in the roasting tin or dish. This is a simplified version that can be made while the meat is cooking, even beforehand, so there is no risk of it going cold.May 31th 2012269 K4.1 35 min.
Chinese style chicken
Only "chinese style", not a true chinese recipe.February 28th 2012305 K4 1 hour 40 min.
Apricot and almond cream tart
Half apricots arranged on a thin layer of almond cream.July 12th 2023331 K4.1 1 hour 45 min.
Vanilla ice cream
Rediscover the full flavour of a real vanilla ice cream with this classical recipe.November 6th 2017440 K3.8 1 hour 7 min.
Big knife-cut chips (French fries)
These chips (French fries) are made from potatoes steamed then fried in their skins. Usually we make big ones (3 times the usual French fry) and serve 2 or 3 per guest.February 21th 2011277 K4.1 1 hour 20 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2025-05-18)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Follow this recipe
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.