Hlelem | Tunisian Hand-Rolled Noodle and Legume Soup

Mix the flour, semolina, and salt. Gradually add the olive oil and lukewarm water, then knead for 8 minutes. The dough should be firm and smooth, not sticky. Soft dough will break as you roll it between your palms. Wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest for 20 minutes.

Pinch off hazelnut-sized pieces of dough. Roll each one back and forth between your palms on a floured counter to form strands 2 mm thick and 8–10 cm long. Keep their thickness uneven; the dish gets its name from this irregularity. Arrange them in a single layer on a floured tray.

Finely chop the onion and soften it in olive oil for 7 minutes. Add the crushed garlic and tabil (Tunisian spice blend) and stir for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and harissa, then cook for 3 minutes until the color deepens; undercooked tomato paste leaves a raw, sharp acidity in the soup.

In a separate pot, bring the chickpeas and cranberry beans to a boil in all the water. Keep the cranberry beans at a rolling boil for the first 10 minutes. Reduce the heat and cook for 45 minutes, until the beans are soft enough to crush between your fingers. Add the legumes and their cooking liquid to the tomato base, then add the lentils and salt and cook for 20 more minutes. The acidity of the tomato paste and harissa prevents the legumes from softening, so add them to the base only after they are tender; it is the acidity, not the salt, that keeps them firm.

While the soup is boiling, shake the excess flour off the noodles and add them one at a time, spreading them around the pot. If you add handfuls at once, they will stick together in clumps. Cook for 12 minutes, until the noodles rise to the surface and soften.

Add the coarsely chopped spinach, boil for 3 more minutes, and remove from the heat. If the soup has thickened, thin it with boiling water. Ladle into bowls and drizzle with olive oil. Serve lemon wedges on the side; hlelem is soured in the bowl.