Halabesa

Description

Halabesa aka Humos Alsham, a vegan traditional Egyptian soup of chickpeas to break our fast with.

This same cumin-spiked chickpeas broth is considered a typical Egyptian winter street food.
The boiling hot broth along with the toasted dry pepper flakes are enough to warm up a weary soul on a bleak winter night.

This soup is best made from scratch with dry chickpeas and NOT the canned ones.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of chickpeas
• 6 cups of water
• 1 cube of vegetable bouillon, organic, low sodium and GMO free
• 1 grated tomato
• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 2 teaspoons of cumin
• 1 teaspoon of pepper
• 2 teaspoons of lemon, or more to taste
• 1 tablespoon of tomato paste

Steps

1. Soak the dry chickpeas in cold water overnight. The second day, drain, rinse, and set aside.
2. Make the soup.
   1. Add six cups of water to a heavy bottom large pan.
   2. add the bouillon and stir until the bouillon is totally dissolved.
   3. Toss in the crushed garlic, grated tomatoes, cumin, black pepper.
   4. Bring the broth to a gentle simmer for five minutes.
   5. Add the chickpeas and let the soup simmer further until the chickpeas are almost cooked through.
   6. Toss in the tomato paste, and stir to dilute it in the broth.
   7. Add the lemon, the salt and adjust the seasoning.
   8. When the chickpeas are cooked through, turn off the heat.
3. Serve the Halabesa hot in tall glasses with extra wedges of lemon or lime and dry pepper flakes or tabasco sauce.