• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Eaternally Fresh
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • About
  • Work With Me
  • Contact Me
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
  • ×

    Home » Harraq Isbao - Tangy Lentil Stew

    Harraq Isbao - Tangy Lentil Stew

    26 October 2021 by Safana Leave a Comment

    حراق اصبعو

    One of most delicious and popular Syrian dishes with the most unfortunate name. Harraq Isbao, or ‘Burnt His Finger’, is a traditional Damascene dish that is made with lentils, dough, fried onions, bread chips, tamarind and lots of pomegranate! 

    An overhead shot of a dish of harraq isbao.
    A closeup of a bowl of harraq isbao.

    Time-saving substitutions

    There is no denying that this delicious dish is time-consuming. Here are some hacks that I turn to when I simply don't have the time to make Harraq Isbao from scratch.

    Dough: Use elbow pasta instead of making dough.

    Fried pita bread: Make fried pita chips in large batches. I always have a large Ziploc bag filled with pita chips for all kinds of Middle Eastern dishes.

    Fried onions: You can purchase fried onions from the grocery store instead of making it yourself.

    Harraq Isbao

    Safana Zahili
    A traditional Damascene dish made with lentils, dough, fried onions, bread chips, tamarind & lots of pomegranate!
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time 30 minutes mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Middle Eastern
    Servings 8
    Calories 424 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    Dough

    • 1 cup all-purpose flour
    • salt
    • 2 tablespoon olive oil
    • ½ cup water

    Harraq Isbao

    • 2 cups brown lentils (not red!)
    • 200 g tamarind paste
    • ¼ cup pomegranate molasses
    • 1 teaspoon dried coriander
    • salt
    • 3-4 cloves garlic minced
    • 3 cups cilantro chopped
    • olive oil

    Garnish

    • 1 cup pomegranate arils
    • 3 pita bread cut into squares
    • 2 onions sliced
    • 1 tablespoon flour
    • 2 cups vegetable oil for frying

    Instructions
     

    Garnish (can be prepared a day in advance)

    • Heat a large pot of oil over medium-high heat. Fry the pita bread squares until golden, about 2-4 minutes. They will continue to cook and darken after you take them out, so don’t let them fry too long. Drain on a paper towel. Set aside for the garnish.
    • In the same pot of oil, fry onions until golden brown. This will take about 10 minutes. Set aside for the garnish.

    Harraq Isbao Stew

    • Combine dough ingredients and knead for 2 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to rest for 30minutes.
    • In a large pot, bring 5cups water to a boil. Add lentils and cook for 10 minutes.
    • In small saucepan, simmer tamarind in 1 cup water for 5 minutes. Strain and reserve the sauce.
    • Flour your countertop with lots of flour. Begin rolling dough using a rolling pin. The dough should be no more than ½ cm thick. Dust the top with flour. Using a pizza cutter, cut strips vertically then horizontally, making little 1.5cm squares of dough. Toss dough into simmering pot of lentils.
    • Add tamarind sauce, pomegranate molasses, dried coriander and salt to the pot of lentils and simmer for 15 minutes.
    • In the meantime, in a large frying pan, sauté cilantro and garlic in olive oil for 2 minutes. Add half to the pot of lentils and reserve half for the garnish. Stir pot well.
    • When the lentils are done, arrange in a deep serving dish or Pyrex dish. Garnish with the pomegranate arils, fried bread chips, fried onions and sautéed cilantro.

    Nutrition

    Sodium: 128mgCalcium: 81mgVitamin C: 9mgVitamin A: 432IUSugar: 22gFiber: 18gPotassium: 783mgCalories: 424kcalMonounsaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gFat: 5gProtein: 18gCarbohydrates: 79gIron: 6mg
    Did you make this recipe?I'd love to know how it was!
    Tried this recipe?Mention @eaternallyfresh or tag #eaternallyfresh!

    more vegetarian mains recipes

    • Za'atar Asparagus & Goat Cheese Tartine
    • Çiğ Köfte - Vegetarian Turkish Kofta
    • Vegetarian Freekeh
    • Ricotta & Spinach Stuffed Pasta Shells
    « Classic Italian Panna Cotta
    Garlic & Rosemary Grilled Lamb Chops »

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    • Eaternally Fresh
    • @eaternallyfresh
    • Pinterest

    Reader Favourites

    • Easy Homemade No Pectin Apricot Jam
    • Shanklish - Aged Spiced Cheese Balls
    • Beet Tahini Dip - Mutabbal Shawandar
    • Sheikh al Mahshi - Stuffed Zucchinis in Yogurt

    بالعربي

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Accessibility Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Copyright © 2021 Eaternally Fresh

    Website by OneStepWeb.Ca