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Etli nohut

Lamb and chickpea stew

Ask anyone in Turkey for the taste of a school lunch or a lokanta set menu and many will say etli nohut with pilav: chickpeas simmered with cubes of lamb, onion, tomato and pepper paste until the sauce is thick and the chickpeas creamy. Spooned over buttery rice with a few pickles alongside, it is cheap, filling and better the next day. Soaking dried chickpeas overnight makes the biggest difference. Common mistake: adding salt and tomato paste before the chickpeas are tender, which keeps them hard. Chef's tip: brown the lamb in batches so it sears instead of stewing in its own juice; that crust flavours the whole pot.

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