Harira with eggplant & chickpeas

1. Heat a large pot over medium heat and add a splash of oil. Saute the onion with a pinch of salt until translucent. Add garlic, ginger and chili and saute for 1 more minute.

2. Deglaze the pot with a splash of broth. Add eggplant, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, salt, saffron threads (if using) and 4 cups (~1L) of the broth. If all the broth is added at once, it will take longer to bring soup to a boil and break down the eggplant, which is why it's not added all at once.

3. Cover pot and bring to a boil. Simmer with the lid slightly ajar for about 20 min. The eggplant should be mostly disintegrated.

4. Add tomatoes, lentils, chickpeas, cilantro and at least 2 more cups of the broth. Add more if needed to make the dish soup-like and not too thick. Bring to a boil, then break pasta strands into thirds and add to the pot. Cook until pasta is soft, then thin out the soup with the remaining broth if needed.

5. Serve with some extra cilantro for garnish.