Chorba beida (Algerian white chicken soup)

Step 1: Melt ⅔ oz butter with 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a large pot over a medium-low heat. Add 1 ⅓ lb chicken thighs or legs on the bone, 1 onion, 1 cinnamon stick, ½ tsp ground white pepper and 1 ½ tsp salt and stir for 5 minutes without browning, so the soup stays pale.

Step 2: Pour in 6 ¼ cups water, bring to the boil, skim off any foam and simmer partly covered for 35 minutes, until the chicken is tender and reads 165°F at the thickest part next to the bone.

Step 3: Lift out the chicken and the cinnamon stick. Pull the meat off the bones in bite-sized shreds and discard the bones.

Step 4: Add 8 ½ oz cooked chickpeas and 2 ⅞ oz fine vermicelli to the simmering broth and cook for 6 to 8 minutes until the vermicelli is soft.

Step 5: Return the chicken to the pot and turn the heat to its lowest. In a bowl, whisk 2 egg yolks with 2 tbsp lemon juice, then whisk in two ladles of hot broth, a little at a time.

Step 6: Take the pot off the heat and pour the egg mixture in, stirring all the time. Return to a low heat for 2 minutes, stirring, until the soup thickens slightly and steams; do not let it bubble.

Step 7: Stir in 3 tbsp flat-leaf parsley and serve straight away with lemon wedges.