I've finally written it. It's taken so long because the thought of writing scares me a lot. I keep looking for excuses like having loads of work to do or being too tired or even just deciding that I don't have the time. My list of excuses goes on and on. However, they are not true. They are just excuses that I come up with every time I want to write something, even a post card. But I will keep fighting myself, stop looking for excuses and write. So welcome to my fourth post! :)
Today I am going to show you how to cook a famous Libyan soup called Sharba. Words can't describe how delicious it is. My mother makes it as a starter every day during Ramadan. She tried to make it during the other months as a main meal but we never let her because it is cooked with small pieces of meat and thus doesn't qualify as a main meal. Because of this, Sharba became a Ramadan meal for me and I never thought of making it during the other months. That was until I volunteered to cook for a weekend away with the university and they wanted soup for lunch. At the start I said I don't know how to make soup . But then I remembered Sharba and I thought, "wait I can cook Sharba." So I called my mother, she taught me how to do it and I made it for 36 students. And they all loved it (or so I hope). :)
Ingredients,
- 1/2 Kg meat cut in small pieces.
- 1 Chopped onion
- 6 Chopped tomatoes ( the more the better )
- 3 tbsp oil
- 1/2 tbsp Tomato paste.
- Cup of Sharba ( Biavetta 77 pasta ).
- Salt
- Chile powder
- Curry powder
- Cumin
- Cinnamon
- Black pepper
- Minced basil, dill and parsley.
Preparation method:
1. Fry the onions on medium heat until golden then add the meat and leave it for couple of minutes.
* For vegetarian/vegan skip the meat .
2. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, salt and the rest of the spices (
again the spices use as much as you can bare ! ). If you are using meat leave
it cooking for an hour. If not let it cook for about 5-10 mins.
3. Check if the sauce needs water if it does add water, let it boil, add the Sharaba, and leave it for about 2 - 3 mins or as instucted on the packaging.
4. Add the minced herbs, turn of the fire and cover for about 3-5 mins.
The recipe is nearly the same as Mbakbaka, as they are both pasta. However, Sharba uses less tomato paste and and more tomatoes . Enjoy :)
