Tunisian Lablabi

Tunisian Lablabi

Lablabi is a Tunisian chickpea soup assembled right in the bowl: day-old bread torn by hand, topped with chickpeas and their broth, then harissa, garlic, cumin, lemon and olive oil. Egg and tuna turn it into a complete meal.

Prep time: 20 minutes · Soaking: 8 hours · Cooking: 90 minutes · Yield: 8 bowls · Difficulty: Easy

The bread is part of the dish

The bread isn’t served on the side. It is torn into the bowl so it soaks up the chickpea liquid while still keeping a bit of texture. A day-old baguette or plain loaf works better than fresh, soft bread.

Ingredients (for 8 servings)

• 400 g dried chickpeas, soaked 8–12 hours and drained
• 2 liters water, plus more as needed
• 8 garlic cloves, half of them crushed
• 2 teaspoons cumin, 1 teaspoon caraway, salt
• 400 g day-old bread, torn
• 8 eggs
• 240 g tuna in water, drained weight
• 3 tablespoons harissa
• 50 ml olive oil
• 2 lemons, juiced; parsley and capers for serving

Choosing ingredients and substitutes

You can take a shortcut with 1 kg of drained canned chickpeas and 1.2 liters of water: cook 25 minutes with the garlic and spices. Plain Israeli bread works; whole-wheat bread adds fiber but tastes less traditional.

Method

1. Cook the chickpeas. Cover the soaked chickpeas with fresh water by 5 cm, bring to a boil and skim the foam. Add four garlic cloves and cook 75–100 minutes until very soft. Salt at the end.
2. Cook the eggs. For hard-boiled eggs, cook 10 minutes and cool. For a soft version use pasteurized eggs; serve hard-boiled eggs to at-risk groups.
3. Season the soup. Add the cumin and caraway to the pot and mash one ladleful of chickpeas to thicken. The soup should stay brothy.
4. Build the bowls. Divide the bread, ladle over very hot chickpeas and broth, and add the tuna and egg.
5. Finish. Mix the harissa, the remaining garlic, lemon and a little broth. Divide among the bowls and drizzle with olive oil. Serve immediately.

Nutrition facts and calorie estimate

The estimate includes 50 g of bread, one egg and 30 g of tuna per bowl. Without the tuna and egg, a bowl is about 375 calories.

Variations and tips

• Serve the harissa on the side when diners like different levels of heat.
• The chickpeas and broth can be frozen; add the bread, egg and tuna after reheating.
• Cooked chickpeas keep 4 days in the fridge. Bring back to a boil before serving.

Summary

Lablabi is more than chickpea soup: the soaked bread and toppings are built in the bowl to taste. A full bowl is about 480 calories. For a Tunisian sandwich with the same tuna and harissa flavors, see fricassé.