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Msabbaha
Msabbaha: Jerusalem's warm breakfast of whole chickpeas in lemony tahini sauce
Hummus shops in Jerusalem's Old City and in Nablus open before dawn, and alongside the smooth hummus they ladle out msabbaha: whole, just-cooked chickpeas bathed in a loose, garlicky tahini and lemon sauce, still warm. It is a working breakfast, eaten with raw onion wedges, green chilli and plenty of bread, and it is just as popular in south Lebanon. The texture is the point, soft chickpeas in a creamy pool rather than a purée. The common mistake is making the tahini sauce too thick; it should pour like double cream so it seeps around every chickpea. Chef's tip: crush a handful of the hot chickpeas into the sauce before you spoon it over; it makes the msabbaha richer and creamier.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the chickpeas
For the tahini sauce
To serve
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Drain 9 oz dried chickpeas and boil with ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda in 6 ¼ cups water over a high heat, skimming off foam and skins.
10 minStep 2: Simmer, partly covered, until the chickpeas are completely soft and creamy inside. Keep them in their hot water until you serve.
60 minStep 3: Whisk 4 oz tahini, 4 tbsp lemon juice, 2 cloves garlic and 1 tsp salt in a bowl; it will seize and go thick. Whisk in ¼ cup ice-cold water a little at a time until pale and pourable, like double cream.
Step 4: Lift out a large ladle of hot chickpeas and crush them roughly into the sauce with a fork. Add 2–3 tablespoons of cooking water if it has thickened.
Step 5: Spoon the rest of the hot chickpeas into shallow bowls, pour the sauce over and around, then drizzle with 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and dust with ½ tsp ground cumin. Top with 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley and 1 green chilli and eat at once with bread, raw onion and pickles.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 430 kcal
- Protein
- 16 g
- Carbs
- 36 g
- Fat
- 26 g
- Fibre
- 11 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does msabbaha take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 15 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.
- 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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