A typical winter street food in Tunisia, this warming soup is served over bread, garnished with harissa and cumin. It is very simple to prepare, but you need to plan for it a day ahead by putting the chickpeas to soak.
SERVES: 6
INGREDIENTS:
- ½ cups (300 g) dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in plenty of water with 1 teaspoon baking soda (see Note)
- ¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
- Juice of 1 lemon, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon Harissa, plus more for garnish
- 5 cloves garlic, minced to a fine paste
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin, plus more for garnish
- Sea salt
- 2 to 4 slices day-old bread, cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 lemons, cut into wedges
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Put in a large pot with 5¼ cups (1.25 liters) water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, skimming off the white foam. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour, or until the chickpeas are tender but not mushy.
- When the chickpeas are done, add the oil, lemon juice, harissa, garlic, cumin, and salt to taste. Simmer for a few more minutes.
- Divide the bread among 6 individual soup bowls—how much you put in depends on your taste and how thick you want your soup to be. Taste and adjust the seasoning of the soup before ladling it onto the bread. Place a knob of harissa in the middle of each bowl of soup. Drizzle a little olive oil all around and sprinkle a little cumin all over. Serve very hot with the lemon wedges.
NOTE:
- Don’t neglect to add the baking soda: It helps soften the chickpeas and shorten their cooking time. Without the baking soda, the chickpeas will take 2 hours, possibly longer, to cook.
