As we head into Spring, the weather is still a bit all over the place…but still chilly enough to squeeze in a few soup dishes before it gets too warm. For my birthday, I received two great books, including one called “World’s Best Bowl Food” from Lonely Planet (my go-to travel guide of choice). As I perused through the dozens of bowl recipes I bookmarked a few for future blog efforts, but this Algerian dish jumped out at me for a few reasons. 1) I was feeling a little under the weather and my body was begging for something comforting yet light. 2) I’ve been trying to use a lot of items already in my pantry and the inclusion of vermicelli noodles and chickpeas fit the bill. 3) I had yet to make a chicken noodle soup this year and I have to say, this may be my new favorite version.

Chorba Beida is a fragrant chicken soup that boasts a clear broth and is delicate in flavor and slightly spiced with cinnamon and chili flakes. This was a very straightforward recipe to follow and the only slightly odd aspect was the addition of a lemon and egg mixture toward the end that you have to whisk briskly in order to avoid curdling. This helps to turn the soup a creamy white.

I made only a few tweaks to this recipe, electing to use boneless skinless thighs for the chicken as opposed to splitting a small chicken. I also used a bit more vermicelli noodles than might have been necessary which thickened the soup and made it a bit heartier. You can find the recipe I used here: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/how-to-make-chorba-beida

Overall Level of Effort: 2

Skill Level: Beginner

Would Make It Again? Yes

Additional Notes: This was such a good soup and will definitely go into our regular rotation of soups once the weather turns cold again. If you want to try something a little different, but not too far afield (in case you live with picky eaters), this is the soup for you.