Chef Zohra
Adss (عدس)
Brown lentils cooked down with tomato, garlic, cumin, and paprika until spoon-thick, then finished with olive oil and coriander. This is weekday Moroccan comfort, made for bread and one more bowl.
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Hssoua Belboula (Moroccan Cracked Barley Soup)
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Cracked barley simmered soft with tomato, herbs, and olive oil, the Amazigh winter soup that fills the kitchen early and keeps one more bowl ready.
Soups & Stews
Moroccan
Comfort Food
Budget Friendly
Weeknight
10 min
Active Time
45 min cook•55 min total
Yield4 to 6 servings
When the cold comes down from the mountains, belboula is what you want in the pot. Cracked barley drinks slowly, swells gently, and gives the broth its body without asking for meat, money, or ceremony. It is food for dawn, for tired evenings, for the day when the house needs warmth before it needs anything grand.
The gesture that matters is patience with the grain. Rinse it well, let it simmer low, and stir it often enough that it doesn't catch at the bottom. Barley thickens as it cooks, so you keep water nearby and loosen the soup as the pot asks. La balance est dans les yeux, the scale is in the eyes.
Some homes finish hssoua belboula with milk, some keep it red with tomato and herbs. I give you both honestly. The tomato version is bright and clean; the milk version is softer, morning food. Either way, serve it with khobz and olive oil at the table. Une table, c'est une porte qu'on laisse ouverte, and this soup knows how to feed the person who arrived late.
Hssoua belboula belongs especially to Amazigh mountain cooking in the Middle Atlas, High Atlas, and nearby rural regions, where barley was long more dependable than wheat in poor soil and cold weather. Barley has been cultivated in North Africa since antiquity, before the medieval dynasties made Fez and Marrakech centers of courtly cooking, and this soup preserves a household register outside the imperial kitchens. The tomato entered Moroccan cooking after the Columbian exchange, so the grain is older than the red version; milk-based and tomato-based hssoua still live side by side depending on region and household.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
cracked barley (belboula or coarse barley grits)
Quantity
180g
rinsed
onion
Quantity
1 medium
finely grated or chopped very small
ripe tomatoes
Quantity
2
grated, or use 250g crushed tomato
olive oil
Quantity
2 tbsp, plus more for serving
tomato paste
Quantity
1 tbsp
garlic cloves
Quantity
2
minced
fresh coriander
Quantity
1 small bunch
chopped
fresh parsley
Quantity
2 tbsp
chopped
ground cumin
Quantity
1 tsp
sweet paprika
Quantity
1 tsp
ground turmeric
Quantity
1/2 tsp
black pepper
Quantity
1/4 tsp
sea salt
Quantity
1 1/2 tsp, plus more to taste
water or light vegetable broth
Quantity
1.5 liters, plus more as needed
whole milk (optional)
Quantity
250ml
optional, for a softer breakfast-style finish
butter or smen (optional)
Quantity
1 tbsp
optional, for finishing
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| cracked barley (belboula or coarse barley grits)rinsed | 180g |
| onionfinely grated or chopped very small | 1 medium |
| ripe tomatoesgrated, or use 250g crushed tomato | 2 |
| olive oil | 2 tbsp, plus more for serving |
| tomato paste | 1 tbsp |
| garlic clovesminced | 2 |
| fresh corianderchopped | 1 small bunch |
| fresh parsleychopped | 2 tbsp |
| ground cumin | 1 tsp |
| sweet paprika | 1 tsp |
| ground turmeric | 1/2 tsp |
| black pepper | 1/4 tsp |
| sea salt | 1 1/2 tsp, plus more to taste |
| water or light vegetable broth | 1.5 liters, plus more as needed |
| whole milk (optional)optional, for a softer breakfast-style finish | 250ml |
| butter or smen (optional)optional, for finishing | 1 tbsp |
Equipment Needed
- •Heavy 4-liter soup pot
- •Wooden spoon with a flat edge for stirring the bottom
- •Ladle
Instructions
- 1
Rinse the barley
Put the cracked barley in a bowl and rinse it in several changes of cool water, rubbing it lightly between your fingers. Drain it well. This matters because loose starch and dust make the soup heavy before the grain has had time to cook; you want body from simmering, not muddiness from neglect.
- 2
Start the base
Warm the olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until it softens and turns sweet at the edges, about 6 minutes. Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, grated tomato, cumin, paprika, turmeric, black pepper, and salt. Let it cook until the tomato darkens slightly and the oil shows at the sides.
- 3
Simmer the grain
Add the rinsed barley and pour in 1.5 liters water or light broth. Bring it just to a boil, then lower the heat so the surface moves gently. Cook uncovered for 35 to 45 minutes, stirring often, especially at the bottom of the pot. The barley should turn tender and swollen, and the broth should thicken enough to coat a spoon while still moving like soup.
- 4
Adjust the body
As the barley swells, add more hot water by the ladle if the soup tightens too much. Don't be shy. Belboula keeps drinking after you think it's finished, and a good hssoua should be generous in the bowl, not stiff on the spoon.
If you plan to reheat it later, leave it looser than you want at the table. The grain will continue thickening as it rests. - 5
Finish the soup
Stir in the chopped coriander and parsley. If you want the milk version, lower the heat and add the milk now, stirring gently for 3 to 5 minutes without letting it boil hard. Add the butter or smen if using. Taste for salt, then rest the pot off the heat for 5 minutes so the grain settles into the broth.
- 6
Serve warm
Ladle the hssoua into deep bowls and finish with a thread of olive oil. Put warm khobz on the table and let everyone tear and dip. This is not a show dish. It is the bowl you make when the day is cold and the table still has room.
Chef Tips
- •Buy coarse cracked barley, not barley flour. Flour gives you paste; belboula should leave a little tenderness under the tooth.
- •Milk is not a correction, it is a household choice. Add it near the end and keep the heat gentle so the soup stays smooth.
- •The tomato should taste like tomato. In winter, a good jarred crushed tomato is more honest than a tired fresh one. The market always has an answer.
- •Hssoua thickens as it waits. Reheat it with a splash of water or milk and stir from the bottom until it loosens again.
Advance Preparation
- •Rinse the barley up to 1 day ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator.
- •The soup can be cooked 2 days ahead. Reheat gently with extra water or milk because the barley will keep thickening.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 430g)
Calories
255 calories
Total Fat
10 g
Saturated Fat
3 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
7 g
Cholesterol
10 mg
Sodium
800 mg
Total Carbohydrates
36 g
Dietary Fiber
7 g
Sugars
6 g
Protein
6 g
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