Lablabi
Tunisian lablabi: a warming chickpea soup poured over torn bread and finished with garlic, cumin, harissa, lemon, olive oil and a soft poached egg.
- prep
- 8 h 20 min
- cook
- 1 h 20 min
- total
- 9 h 40 min
- serves
- 4
- level
- easy
Lablabi is a Tunisian chickpea soup, eaten in the morning and as street food, especially in cold weather. Chickpeas are simmered until tender in a garlicky broth, then ladled over torn pieces of stale bread and finished at the table with cumin, harissa, olive oil, lemon and often an egg. It is cheap, filling and quick to put together once the chickpeas are cooked.
The soup is made in the bowl. The broth should be savory and slightly thick from the chickpeas, and the bread should soak it up and soften without turning to mush, so use sturdy day-old bread. The seasoning goes on at the end: a mixture of raw garlic, cumin, harissa and lemon stirred in gives the soup its sharp, spicy character.
Lablabi is one of the best breakfasts from around the world.
method
Soak the chickpeas in cold water for 8 to 12 hours, then drain them.
Put the chickpeas in a large pot with the 1.5 liters of fresh water, the 3 smashed garlic cloves and 1 teaspoon of the cumin. Bring to a boil, skim off the foam, then reduce to a gentle simmer.
Simmer partly covered for 60 to 90 minutes, until the chickpeas are completely tender and creamy inside. Add the salt in the last 20 minutes, and top up with hot water if the level drops.
Crush a handful of the cooked chickpeas against the side of the pot with a spoon to thicken the broth slightly. Keep the soup hot over very low heat.
In a small bowl, mix the minced garlic, harissa, caraway, lemon juice, the remaining cumin and the olive oil. Divide the torn bread among 4 wide bowls.
Poach the eggs: bring a wide pan of water to a gentle simmer, slip in the eggs one at a time and cook for 3 minutes, until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny. Lift out with a slotted spoon.
Ladle the hot chickpeas and broth over the bread, about 1 1/2 cups per bowl, and let it soak for a minute. Spoon the harissa mixture on top, add a poached egg and the capers, and serve at once.
chef's tips
- A pressure cooker saves time: after soaking, cook the chickpeas for about 25 minutes at high pressure.
- Lablabi tastes better the more you stir it. Break the yolk and mix the bread, broth and harissa together before you take a bite.
- The chickpeas and broth keep for 4 days in the fridge, which is a good reason to make a larger batch. Poach the eggs and add the bread only when serving.
- Eggs with a runny yolk carry a small risk of salmonella. Use very fresh eggs, or cook them hard if serving young children, older people or anyone pregnant.