Red lentil addas and shurbad: Ilhan Mohamed Abdi’s Iftar soups

There is nothing quite like that first bite after a long day of fasting: quiet, intentional and deeply comforting. The stillness before sunset gives way to movement as the table is laid and everyone waits to break the fast, often beginning not with a feast but with small, simple things — such as these two soups.

Shurbad, a light lamb, oat and barley soup, appears across east Africa, the Middle East and north Africa; the name comes from the Arabic shariba, meaning “to drink.” The recipe calls for lamb shoulder simmered with stock until tender (about an hour and a half), the meat shredded and returned to cook with tomatoes and pearl barley for 45 minutes, then oats and warm spices for a further 20 minutes.

Fried onion, a garlic-and-coriander paste and a final 10-minute simmer finish the dish, which can be served with lemon or apple-cider vinegar and freezes well for up to three months.

shurbad, addas, red lentil, iftar, lamb shoulder, pearl barley, oats, fried onion, garlic coriander, lemon