Lablabi

Ingredients

Broth

• 400 gdried chickpeas, soaked overnight with 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 litreswater
• 1whole head of garlic, cloves peeled
• 2 tspground cumin
• 1 tbspharissa
• 2 tspsalt
• 3 tbspolive oil

To build each bowl

• 400 gstale white bread or day-old baguette, torn into rough pieces
• 4eggs
• 1 tbspharissa, plus more to taste
• 1 tspground cumin
• 4 tbspgood olive oil
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 120 gtinned tuna in oil, flaked
• 2 tbspcapers, rinsed
• 12black olives
• 2 tbspchopped parsley
• 1 tsptabil or extra cumin
• Salt

Directions

1. Drain the soaked chickpeas, cover with the 2 litres fresh water and bring to a boil. Skim the grey foam, then simmer 1 to 1.5 hours until the chickpeas are completely soft and squash to a cream between finger and thumb.
2. Add the peeled garlic cloves for the last 20 minutes, then the cumin, harissa, salt and olive oil. Keep the broth thin and generous – lablabi is a soup of broth, not a stew of chickpeas.
3. Poach the eggs directly in the simmering broth for 3–4 minutes until the whites are set and the yolks still liquid, and lift them out with a slotted spoon.
4. Tear the stale bread into a large deep bowl for each person – about a quarter of a baguette per bowl, filling it halfway.
5. In the bottom of each bowl, before the bread, put a spoon of harissa, a pinch of cumin, a pinch of salt, a squeeze of lemon and a good pour of olive oil, and mash it into a slurry with the back of a spoon.
6. Ladle the hot chickpeas and plenty of broth over the bread and press it down so every piece drinks – it should soften but not dissolve.
7. Slide a poached egg on top and break it with the spoon so the yolk runs into the broth and enriches it.
8. Finish with tuna, capers, olives, parsley, another spoon of harissa, a slick of raw olive oil and a final squeeze of lemon. Stir everything together and eat straight away while the bread still has some bite.

Technique

• Lablabi is a breakfast and a hangover cure, sold from dedicated stalls where you hand over your bowl and torn bread and the seasoning is built in front of you.
• Bicarbonate in the soak breaks down the skins and gives a much softer chickpea and a cloudier, more flavourful broth.
• Timing matters more than anything: the bread goes in dry and is drowned at the table. Bread soaked in advance turns to porridge.

Substitutions

• Tinned chickpeas can be used – simmer them 20 minutes in well-seasoned water with garlic and a little of the tin liquid to build some body.
• No harissa? A paste of chilli flakes, garlic, caraway and olive oil is the honest substitute.

Variations

• Lablabi bel hout, topped with flaked salt-cured fish instead of tuna.
• A plainer version with just egg, cumin, harissa and oil – the everyday student bowl.

History

Sold from handcarts in winter, a cheap standing snack in Baghdad and Basra streets.

Frequently asked questions

What is Lablabi?

Lablabi is a street food from Iraq: hot chickpeas in cumin broth, ladled into bowls on cold evenings. Sold from handcarts in winter, a cheap standing snack in Baghdad and Basra streets.

How long does Lablabi take to make?

Lablabi takes 20 min of preparation and 1 hr 30 min (plus overnight soak) of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Lablabi?

Yes, within limits. Tinned chickpeas can be used – simmer them 20 minutes in well-seasoned water with garlic and a little of the tin liquid to build some body. No harissa? A paste of chilli flakes, garlic, caraway and olive oil is the honest substitute.