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Published: Sep 28, 2013 · Modified: Jan 25, 2021 by Sandhya Ramakrishnan · This post may contain affiliate links

Xarba Arbija | A Libyan Soup Recipe

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Xarba Arbija is a very filling soup and it closely resembles the Middle Eastern Lentil Soup. This Libyan soup has a liberal quantity of the five spice also called Hararat which is a classic Libyan Five Spice blend.

Xarba Arbija  a bowl

When looking for a recipe to make for the alphabet X, my husband came up with this soup which is a classic Libyan Beef and Vegetable soup with lentils and chickpeas.

The name was very fascinating and above all the soup had a five-spice blend in it which made it very aromatic. I skipped the meat from the soup and added vegetable broth instead of meat stock to make the soup flavorful.

This was a very filling soup and it closely resembled the Lentil Soup that I had made earlier this month. Fall has begun for us and I am all set with few new soup recipes that are right up my alley.

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The soup had a liberal quantity of the five spice also called Hararat. This is a very classic Libya Five Spice blend that is used in many soup recipes.

Libyan Soup in a bowl with spoon

A-Z Marathon – Alphabet X
Category – International

Preparation time – 15 mins
Cooking time – 1 hr 20 mins
Difficulty level – easy

Ingredients to make Xarba Arbija – (Serves 6)

  • Red lentils / masoor dal – ½ cup (washed and drained)
  • Chick peas (cooked or canned) – 1 can (drained and rinsed) or about 200 gms cooked
  • Vegetable broth – 500 ml or about 2 cups
  • Water – 500 ml or about 2 cups
  • Onion – 1 (finely chopped)
  • Garlic – 2 cloves (minced)
  • Carrot – 1 large (finely chopped)
  • Potato – 1 large (skin removed and finely chopped)
  • Tomato – 3 (chopped)
  • Hararat – 2 tablespoon (see below for recipe)
  • Chili powder – ½ tsp
  • Oil – 2 tsp
  • Sugar – 1 tsp
  • Salt – to taste

To make the Hararat or the Libyan Five spice blend –

  • Red chilies – 2
  • Coriander seeds – 4 tsp
  • Cumin seeds – 4 tsp
  • Cinnamon – 2 stick (broken into pieces)
  • All spice - 1 tsp
Xarba Arbija in a pink and black bowl

Procedure to make Xarba Arbija –

To make the Hararat –

  • Dry roast the red chilies, cinnamon, cumin, and coriander seeds until fragrant (about 2-3 mins). Once the spices are roasted add all spice and then give it one stir. Turn off the flame and let it cool down.
Roasting spices
  • Grind the roasted spices into fine powder using a spice blender and store in an airtight container for future use.
Spice powder

To make the libyan soup –

  • Heat oil in deep pot and add the chopped onions and garlic. Saute until softened (for about 5 mins).
Frying onions
  • Add the chopped vegetables and fry it for 5 more minutes.
Adding carrot and cooking
  • Now add the hararat spice, chili powder, salt, sugar and the tomatoes and mix well. Let it cook for about 5 mins more. Add the salt carefully since the broth will have some salt in it.
Adding other ingredients and cooking
  • Now add the washed and drained lentils and mix it well. Add the vegetable stock and water.
Adding water to the Libyan Soup
  • Bring it to a boil and then simmer for about 40 mins or until the lentils are cooked.
  • Now add the cooked or canned chickpeas and let it cook for 15 more mins.
  • Check for the consistency of the soup and add more water if it is too thick.
  • Serve hot with lemon wedges on the side or with some crusty bread.
Xarba Arbija ready and served

 If you made this recipe and liked it, give a star rating on the recipe card or let me know in the comments below. You could also share it with me on Instagram using #MyCookingJourney and tagging me @sandhya.ramakrishnan. You could follow me and my recipes on Facebook |Instagram | Pinterest | twitter

A Libyan Soup

Xarba Arbija – A Libyan Soup Recipe

Xarba Arbija is a very filling soup and it closely resembled the Lentil Soup. This Libyan soup had a liberal quantity of the five spice also called Hararat. This is a very classic Libya Five Spice blend that is used in many soup recipes.
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Course: dinner
Cuisine: African, libya
Diet: Vegetarian
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 165kcal
Author: Sandhya Ramakrishnan

Equipment

  • Pressure Cooker
  • spatula

Ingredients

  • ½ cup Red lentils/masoor dal Washed and drained
  • 1 can Chickpeas Cooked or canned (drained and rinsed) or about 200 gms cooked
  • 500 ml Vegetable broth About 2 cups
  • 500 ml Water About 2 cups
  • 1 Onion Finely chopped
  • 2 cloves Garlic Minced
  • 1 large Carrot Finely chopped
  • 1 large Potato Skin removed and finely chopped
  • 3 Tomato Chopped
  • 2 tbsp. Hararat See below for recipe
  • ½ teaspoon Chili powder
  • 2 teaspoon Oil
  • 1 teaspoon Sugar
  • to taste Salt

TO MAKE THE HARARAT OR THE LIBYAN FIVE SPICE BLEND –

  • 2 Red chilies
  • 4 teaspoon Coriander seeds
  • 4 teaspoon Cumin seeds
  • 2 stick Cinnamon Broken into pieces
  • 1 teaspoon All spice

Instructions

TO MAKE THE HARARAT –

  • Dry roast the red chilies, cinnamon, cumin, and coriander seeds until fragrant (about 2-3 mins). Once the spices are roasted add the allspice and then give it one stir. Turn off the flame and let it cool down.
  • Grind the roasted spices into a fine powder using a spice blender and store in an airtight container for future use.

TO MAKE THE SOUP –

  • Heat oil in a deep pot and add the chopped onions and garlic. Saute until softened (for about 5 mins).
  • Add the chopped vegetables and fry them for 5 more minutes.
  • Now add the hararat spice, chili powder, salt, sugar, and the tomatoes and mix well. Let it cook for about 5 mins more. Add the salt carefully since the broth will have some salt in it.
  • Add the washed and drained lentils and mix it well. Add the vegetable stock and water.
  • Bring it to a boil and then simmer for about 40 mins or until the lentils are cooked.
  • Now add the cooked or canned chickpeas and let it cook for 15 more mins.
  • Check for the consistency of the soup and add more water if it is too thick.
  • Serve hot with lemon wedges on the side or with some crusty bread.

Nutrition

Calories: 165kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 364mg | Potassium: 511mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 2838IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @Sandhya.Ramakrishnan or tag #MyCookingJourney!
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Archana Potdar says

    October 18, 2013 at 5:35 pm

    Looks delicious and flavourful. I will try this when its winter here(Winters heer are a laugh) but then rite now its too hot. I love the spice mix.

    Reply
  2. Pavani N says

    October 07, 2013 at 6:39 pm

    I want to try this soup soon. That spice powder sounds sooooo flavorful.

    Reply
  3. The Pumpkin Farm says

    October 02, 2013 at 11:32 am

    indeed a flavorful soup, seems delicious

    Reply
  4. Chef Mireille says

    October 02, 2013 at 4:39 am

    what a flavorful soup to have on a cold winter night

    Reply
  5. Preeti Garg says

    October 01, 2013 at 5:14 pm

    This soup come out so well and so healthy to.

    Reply
  6. Nivedhanams Sowmya says

    September 30, 2013 at 6:47 am

    delicious soup and very well written post!!

    Sowmya

    Reply
  7. Sapana Behl says

    September 29, 2013 at 4:56 pm

    That soup looks so delicious !

    Reply
  8. divya says

    September 29, 2013 at 1:42 pm

    looks fabulous...

    Reply
  9. Srivalli says

    September 29, 2013 at 5:42 am

    Such a delicious soup..and so healthy I am sure..enjoyed reading it..

    Reply
  10. Manjula Bharath says

    September 28, 2013 at 2:14 pm

    very very flavorful and very healthy soup 🙂 very flavorful spice powder wud have made the soup so very aromatic 🙂

    Reply
  11. vaishali sabnani says

    September 28, 2013 at 1:50 pm

    Wow that is a lovely choice for the alphabet. ..the soup looks healthy and I particularly like the spice mix and the name Hararat...super one Sandhya.

    Reply
  12. Rajani S says

    September 28, 2013 at 4:38 pm

    Loved your lenthil soup and this one is also great :-). Its great to see the X recipes!

    Reply
  13. Priya Suresh says

    September 28, 2013 at 4:27 pm

    Xarba arbija looks very nutritious and comforting,love that spice mix.

    Reply
  14. Arjunan Akilandeswari says

    September 28, 2013 at 3:03 pm

    Looks delicious

    Reply

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I am Sandhya Ramakrishnan, author, recipe developer and photographer in this journey! 'My Cooking Journey' is all about family friendly Vegetarian and Vegan recipes from around the World with focus on Indian cuisine.

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