Kibbet il roheb, also known as Good Friday Soup is a traditional vegetarian dish served on Good Friday. You'll love the delicious blend of flavors!
Gourmet Traveller is one of my favourite food magazines. Each month when my magazine subscription arrives in the mail, I can't wait to flip through to see what wonderful recipes are included. This month included a preview of the new cookbook Whispers from a Lebanese Kitchen which will be launched in April.
When I saw the recipe for Kibbet il roheb, I couldn't wait to try it. According to the author, Nouha Taouk, "This soup is consumed after mid-morning mass on Good Friday. When we were children it was supposed to be our consolation prize for fasting until midday and lasting through an overcrowded and longer than usual church service."
My Experience Making Kibbet il roheb
While it's not Good Friday yet, I love soups and in the last year I've come to love cooking Lebanese food at home, so I couldn't wait to try my hand at making the soup. I'll admit I did take a few shortcuts, mainly because I was impatient to try the soup and decided to make it only a couple of hours before dinner. Instead of soaking the chickpeas and borlotti beans overnight, I used canned chickpeas and cannellini beans, as I didn't have borlotti beans to hand. Despite that shortcut, I don't think it effected the end result of the soup, which was delicious.
Good Soup Transcends Time and Place
A funny thing happened when my boyfriend and I tried the soup for the first time; it reminded both of us of our Grandmothers' soups. Despite the fact my Grandmother is Scottish and my boyfriend's is Serbian—and therefore have never made this soup—it was reminiscent of soups they made.
Do you ever taste something and feel transported back to another time? What is it?
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How to Make Kibbet il roheb
- Place a large stock pot over a low heat and add the oil, onion, and garlic. Cook until the onion is translucent.
- Add the chickpeas, beans, and vegetable stock. Cover and keep over a low heat while you make the burghul balls (recipe below).
- Once the burghul balls are made, bring the soup mixture to the boil and then add the burghul balls, one at a time. Stir to ensure the balls don't stick together.
- Add the silverbeet, stir, and cook for 10 minutes or until the silverbeet is wilted.
- Serve with a wedge of lemon.
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Recipe
Kibbet il roheb (Good Friday Soup)
Ingredients
- 1 tin chickpeas 400g, drained & rinsed
- 1 can cannellini beans 400g, drained & rinsed
- 3 liters vegetable stock
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 onions peeled & coarsely chopped
- 1 bunch silverbeet coarsely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- wedge of lemon to serve
Burghul Balls
- 265 grams burghul
- 2 onions peeled and finely chopped
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 500 g butternut pumpkin peeled and diced
- 1 tablespoon mint chopped
- pinch chilli powder
- 110 g plain flour
Instructions
- Place a large stock pot over a low heat and add the oil, onion, and garlic. Cook until the onion is translucent.
- Add the chickpeas, beans, and vegetable stock. Cover and keep over a low heat while you make the burghul balls (see below).
- Once the burghul balls are made, bring the soup mixture to the boil and then add the burghul balls, one at a time. Stir to ensure the balls don't stick together.
- Add the silverbeet, stir, and cook for 10 minutes or until the silverbeet is wilted.
- Serve with a wedge of lemon.
Burghul Balls
- Soak the burghul in 500ml of warm water for 30 minutes, then drain well to remove excess moisture.
- Place the butternut pumpkin in a microwave container and cover with water. Cook in the microwave until soft. Drain well, then mash.
- Combine the burghul and mashed pumpkin in a bowl with the onion, cumin, pepper, mint, chilli powder, and flour. Mix well to combine.
- Roll spoonfuls of the mixture into balls and set on a plate, ready to add to the soup. If the mixture is too loose, add a little more flour.
Nouha Taouk says
Hi, it's Nouha Taouk the author of the cookbook 'Whispers From A Lebanese Kitchen'. I am thrilled to read such wonderful comments about one of my favorite recipes in my book. Thank you so much for all the kind words. Now that I have had my baby and finally moved back into my house I plan share more family stories and flavors straight from the hearts and souls of my family.
Love,
Nouha
delicieux says
Congratulations on the birth of your baby.
Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment Nouha 😀 Your soup was wonderful and we both loved it. So delicious and comforting, just as you expect family food to be.
Kulsum says
never tried anything like this but I'm so so so trying this one. I love lebanese food to the core and sometimes i wonder if I have lebanese roots 😛 Looks perfectly healthy and delightful
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Juliana says
Wow, the soup looks delicious, love the pictures 🙂
delicieux says
Thank you so much Juliana 🙂
Not Quite Nigella says
What a welcoming dish! It reminds me of matzo ball soup 🙂
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Mary says
This is a lovely soup and while intended for Good Friday would be great at any time. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary
delicieux says
Thank you so much for your kind words Mary. Hope you have a wonderful day too. 🙂
Trudy~Veggie num num says
This soup looks beautiful Jennifer!! So many yummy ingredients and I love the Burghul Balls with pumpkin, I thought they were some kind of dumpling when I first saw the photo, bet the texture and flavour works perfectly with the hearty soup, yum!!
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delicieux says
Thanks for your kind words Trudy. Yes, the burghul balls are I suppose a kind of dumpling but something much healthier and with more texture. It's a very filling and old fashioned soup. I just love this style of peasant food. 🙂
Ellie says
A lovely bowl of soup. Beautiful clicks.
sonia says
Wonderful and absolutely comforting bowl of soup. It can be enjoyed any time and I just love the way you have presented and described it...great job !
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CC11 says
It looks so yummy and nourishing - exactly the kind of honest food a grandmother makes 🙂