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Lablabi Soup is A Popular Dish of Tunisia
Tunisia is known for its rich and flavourful cuisine, and one of the most popular dishes is Lablabi soup. This hearty and satisfying soup is made with chickpeas, bread, garlic, and a variety of spices.
Making the Lablabi Soup
To make Lablabi soup, first, you need to soak dried chickpeas overnight. Then, boil them with baking soda until they are soft. In a separate pot, fry some garlic in olive oil until golden brown. Add tomato paste, cumin, harissa, and salt to the garlic mixture and let it simmer for a few minutes. Next, add the cooked chickpeas and their cooking
liquid to the pot with the garlic and spices. Tear some stale bread into small pieces and add it to the soup. Let everything cook together for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Serving the Lablabi Soup
When the bread has completely dissolved and the soup has thickened, it’s ready to serve. Ladle the soup into bowls and top it with a poached egg, a sprinkle of paprika, and some chopped parsley. Lablabi soup is a favourite among Tunisians because it’s easy to make, filling, and packed with flavour. It’s also a great way to use up stale bread. If you’re ever in Tunisia, be sure to try this delicious soup for yourself.
How to Make the Lablabi Soup
Ingredients:
2 cups (1 pound) dried chickpeas, soaked for at least 4 hours or up to overnight 8 cups water 3–4 large garlic cloves, peeled and halved 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 cups minced onion (1 large) 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 tablespoon minced or crushed garlic 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or more to taste 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice Black pepper
Directions:
- Drain and rinse the soaked chickpeas, then transfer them to a soup pot, large saucepan, or Dutch oven, along with the water and garlic cloves. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, partially cover, and cook until the chickpeas are completely tender, 1 hour or longer.
- Meanwhile, place a medium skillet over medium heat for about a minute, then add the olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the onion and cumin, and cook, stirring, for 5 to 8 minutes, until the onion becomes soft. Add the minced garlic and 1 teaspoon of the salt, reduce the heat to low, and continue to cook for another 10 minutes. Cover and cook over the lowest possible heat for 10 minutes longer, then remove from the heat.
- When the chickpeas are very tender, add the onion-garlic mixture, scraping in as much as you can of whatever adhered to the pan. Collect the remaining parts (this is flavor!) by adding the lemon juice to the skillet and stirring it around, scraping the sides and bottom (deglazing), then pouring all of this onto the chickpeas as well. Taste to adjust the salt (you will likely want to add up to another 1/2 teaspoon) and grind in a generous amount of black pepper to taste. At this point, if you choose, you can puree some of the chickpeas with an immersion blender.
- Cover and let the soup simmer for another 10 minutes or so before serving.
