Nakhi

Ingredients

Chickpeas

• 400 gdried chickpeas
• 1 tspbicarbonate of soda
• water

Dressing

• 2 tspground cumin
• juice of 2 limes
• 1 tspsalt
• 3 tbspolive oil

Optional

• 1 tspchilli powder
• chopped parsley
• 1 clovegarlic, crushed

To serve

• in small bowls or paper cones
• alongside bajella, fava beans

Directions

1. Nakhi is simply hot boiled chickpeas dressed with cumin and lime, and its virtue is entirely in getting each of those three things right.
2. Soak the chickpeas overnight with the bicarbonate of soda.
3. The bicarbonate raises the pH of the water and breaks down the pectin in the skins, which lets the chickpeas cook much softer than they otherwise would.
4. Drain and rinse them, then cover generously with fresh water.
5. Boil them for an hour to an hour and a half, skimming the foam and the loose skins that float up.
6. Cook them until genuinely soft, to the point where one crushes to paste between your fingers.
7. Firm chickpeas are the one way this goes wrong. There is nothing else in the dish to distract from them.
8. Add salt only in the last 15 minutes of cooking.
9. Salt added at the start toughens the skins and slows the softening considerably.
10. Drain them, keeping a little of the cooking water.
11. Serve them hot, in bowls or paper cones, with a spoonful of the cooking water so they do not dry out.
12. They must be hot. Nakhi is a hot snack eaten from a paper cone, and cold chickpeas are a salad instead.
13. Dust generously with ground cumin, squeeze lime over, and add salt and a little chilli.
14. The cumin goes on at the last second, over the hot chickpeas, so the heat lifts its aroma.
15. Pour a little olive oil over and eat immediately with a small spoon.
16. Taste as you dress it, because the balance of cumin against lime is the only thing being judged here.
17. It is sold at breakfast stalls in Bahrain and across the Gulf, usually alongside bajella, hot fava beans dressed the same way.
18. It is an old souq snack from the pearling towns, cheap and filling, and it is eaten early in the morning or late at night.
19. The vendors serve it from a large pot kept hot all day, ladled into cones as people pass.

Technique

• Bajella, the fava bean version, is the standard companion and often shares the same cone.
• The cooking water is worth keeping and is sometimes drunk.
• It is eaten hot and never chilled.

Substitutions

• Tinned chickpeas, simmered a further 20 minutes to soften them properly.
• Lemon in place of lime, which is sharper and less floral.

Variations

• Bajella, made with fava beans.
• With garlic and parsley through it.
• With a spoonful of the cooking broth as a soup.

History

Sold beside bajella at breakfast stalls, an old souq snack of the pearling towns.

Frequently asked questions

What is Nakhi?

Nakhi is a snack from Bahrain: hot boiled chickpeas dressed with cumin and lime. Sold beside bajella at breakfast stalls, an old souq snack of the pearling towns.

How long does Nakhi take to make?

Nakhi takes 10 min plus overnight soaking of preparation and 1 hr 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Nakhi?

Yes, within limits. Tinned chickpeas, simmered a further 20 minutes to soften them properly. Lemon in place of lime, which is sharper and less floral.

What is the most important thing to get right in Nakhi?

The bicarbonate raises the pH of the water and breaks down the pectin in the skins, which lets the chickpeas cook much softer than they otherwise would.