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Balila
Warm chickpeas with garlic and lemon
Balila: warm whole chickpeas tossed with garlic, cumin, lemon and olive oil, Beirut and Damascus style
On winter mornings in Damascus, handcarts with steaming pots of chickpeas park outside schools and offices, and vendors ladle balila into paper cups with a squeeze of lemon and a shake of cumin. In Beirut it is a mezze dish and a light Sunday breakfast, served warm in a shallow bowl with pine nuts and parsley and bread on the side. It is simply chickpeas, cooked until creamy inside, dressed while hot so they soak up the garlic and oil. The usual mistake is dressing cold chickpeas from the fridge; they stay waxy and the flavours sit on the surface. Chef's tip: keep a ladle of the hot cooking water and add it to the dressing; it turns the oil and lemon into a light, clinging sauce.
- Total time
- 85 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the chickpeas
- 9 oz dried chickpeassoaked overnight in plenty of water
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 6 ¼ cups water
For the dressing
- 2 cloves garliccrushed with a pinch of salt
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt
To serve
- 2 tbsp pine nuts (optional)toasted
- 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley (optional)chopped
- ½ tsp paprika or Aleppo pepper (optional)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Drain 9 oz dried chickpeas, put them in a large pot with ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda and 6 ¼ cups water and bring to the boil over a high heat. Skim off the foam and any loose skins.
10 minStep 2: Lower the heat and simmer, partly covered, until a chickpea squashes easily between your tongue and the roof of your mouth, with no chalky centre.
60 minStep 3: While they cook, whisk 2 cloves garlic, 3 tbsp lemon juice, 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 1 tsp ground cumin and 1 tsp salt in a serving bowl.
Step 4: Lift the hot chickpeas into the bowl with a slotted spoon, add 3–4 tablespoons of their cooking water and toss well. Leave for 5 minutes, toss again and taste for salt and lemon.
5 minStep 5: Scatter with 2 tbsp pine nuts, 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley and ½ tsp paprika or Aleppo pepper and serve warm with bread and pickles.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 13 g
- Carbs
- 35 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 10 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does balila take?
- About 85 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 75 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of dried chickpeas?
- Cannellini or butter beans, same amount.
- What can I use instead of bicarbonate of soda?
- Baking powder, three times the amount (the bake may taste slightly different).
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