Shorba bil Lahm (Libyan Meat Soup)

Shorba bil lahm is a comforting and hearty meat soup popular in Libyan cuisine. It is flavorful and broth-based, packed with tender pieces of meat, vegetables, and aromatic spices.

60 min

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 500 grams (1 lb) boneless lamb or beef, cut into small cubes
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
• ½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (adjust according to spice preference)
• Salt to taste
• Pepper, to taste
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 liter (4 cups) vegetable broth or beef broth
• Fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped, for garnish

Steps

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
2. Add the chopped onion and minced garlic to the pot and sauté until they become translucent and fragrant.
3. Add the diced lamb or beef cubes to the pot and cook until browned on all sides.
4. Stir in the ground cumin, ground coriander, ground turmeric, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper, and cook for another minute to toast the spices.
5. Add the chopped carrots, potatoes, and tomatoes to the pot, and stir well to combine with the meat and spices.
6. Pour in the vegetable broth or beef broth, and bring the soup to a boil.
7. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and let the soup simmer for about 1 hour, or until the meat is tender and the flavors have melded together.
8. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if needed.
9. Serve hot, garnished with fresh parsley or cilantro.

More recipes with onion, garlic, lamb, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne pepper, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes or broth or stock

Adapted from “Shorba bil Lahm (Libyan Meat Soup)” in the Wikibooks Cookbook by its contributors, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Reformatted for this site; this page's recipe text is shared under the same license.