Halabessa: Chickpeas in Spicy Tomato Broth
Ingredients
- 500 g dried chickpeas
- 2 tablespoon baking soda (sodium bicarbonate, known in Egypt as ‘carbonato’)
- 1 onion peeled and halved*
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 tablespoon cumin plus more to taste
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice plus more to taste
- ground chilli powder to taste (optional)
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Place the chickpeas and baking soda in a large bowl. Cover with plenty of water (they will swell like crazy), cover the bowl and let soak overnight (or at least 6-8 hours) at room temperature.
- Rinse and drain the chickpeas well. Place in a large pot, cover with water till it reaches about 10-12cm (4-5 inches) above the level of the chickpeas. Add the onion and garlic and place the pot on medium-high heat.
- Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Simmer for 30-40 minutes, until chickpeas are soft but not falling apart. I start checking at about 25 minutes.
- Remove and discard the onion. There should be plenty of broth covering the chickpeas to serve them with, so if the liquid is looking a little low add a cup or 2 of hot water to the pot. Add the tomato paste, cumin, lemon juice and chilli (if using).
- Season with salt. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Serve in glasses or bowls, with extra lemon, cumin and chilli so that everyone can customize their own according to taste. Eat steaming hot! Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week and reheated as needed.
Notes
*Keep the root of the onion on when halving it: this will keep the layers together during cooking and will make removing the onion from the broth later much easier.
Nutrition
Calories: 196kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 10gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 0.3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 709mgPotassium: 529mgFiber: 9gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 122IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 69mgIron: 4mg
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