COPPERLablabi recipe
Lablabi is a thin garlic and cumin chickpea broth ladled over torn stale bread, then seasoned in the bowl with harissa, lemon, olive oil and an egg.
Ingredients
- 400 g dried chickpeas
- 4 slice stale bread
- 4 clove garlic
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tbsp harissa
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lemon
- 4 eggs
- 150 g canned tuna
- 1 tsp salt
- 1500 ml water
How to make Lablabi
- The night before, soak 400 g dried chickpeas in plenty of water for 12 hours, then drain and rinse.
- Put the chickpeas in a pot with 1.5 litres water and 2 crushed garlic cloves, boil 15 minutes, then cover and simmer about 1 hour until tender, skimming the foam. Keep plenty of thin broth and add 1 tsp salt 5 minutes before the end.
- In a bowl, whisk the juice of 1 lemon, 3 tbsp olive oil, 2 crushed garlic cloves, 2 tbsp harissa, 1 tsp cumin and a pinch of salt.
- Poach 4 eggs in simmering water for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Tear 4 slices of stale bread into small pieces in deep bowls and ladle the chickpeas and their hot broth over them.
- Top each bowl with an egg and some of 150 g canned tuna, spoon over the harissa seasoning, sprinkle with 1 more tsp cumin and eat very hot.
What is Lablabi?
Lablabi is a traditional dish from Tunisia, simmered in one pot, and takes about 13 hours and 30 minutes from start to finish. It is built around dried chickpeas and canned tuna. The recipe below uses 11 ingredients and is written out step by step.
How long does Lablabi take?
At 810 minutes it is slower than 85% of the 586 dishes in Copper's atlas. Copper's atlas has 2 dishes built on dried chickpeas. The method runs to 6 steps, the longest being 15 minutes.
Any tips for making Lablabi?
Keep the chickpeas in plenty of thin broth: it is poured hot over the bread, and the seasoning goes in the bowl, not the pot.
How Lablabi compares
Hard to find elsewhere: canned tuna (1), dried chickpeas (2) and stale bread (2).
Copper documents Tunisia alongside 197 other countries. Every recipe is free to read, with the full ingredient list and every step.