Lablabi is the chickpea soup of Tunis, a cheap, warming street breakfast served over torn stale bread with harissa, cumin, olive oil and a soft egg. It is the dish for gray winter days.
Lablabi is Tunisian street food at its heart: a simple, garlicky chickpea broth ladled over torn stale bread, then dressed up however you like, a poached egg, a spoonful of harissa, capers, preserved lemon, a good drizzle of olive oil. Everyone builds their own bowl, and no two bowls end up quite the same.
Our Harissa (recipe on the site) is what really makes it sing, though a milder store-bought version works fine for less spice-tolerant households. Leftover soup, minus the egg and bread, keeps for a few days and only gets better.
Lablabi Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cans (15 oz each) chickpeas, with their liquid (or 3 cups home-cooked chickpeas with 2 cups broth)
- 4 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 tsp ground cumin, plus extra for serving
- 2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for serving
- Salt, to taste
- 4 slices day-old crusty bread, torn into pieces
- 4 large eggs
- 2 to 3 tbsp Harissa (recipe on the site), or store-bought
- 1/4 cup capers, drained
- 1 preserved lemon, finely chopped, or zest of 1 lemon, optional
- Chopped fresh parsley, for serving
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Instructions
- In a pot, combine the chickpeas with their liquid (adding water to cover generously if needed), garlic, cumin, olive oil, and salt. Bring to a simmer.
- Simmer gently 20 to 25 minutes, mashing some of the chickpeas against the side of the pot with a spoon to thicken the broth slightly.
- Meanwhile, divide the torn bread among four deep bowls.
- Poach the eggs: bring a separate pot of water to a bare simmer, add a splash of vinegar, swirl, and slip in the eggs one at a time, poaching 3 minutes for a runny yolk.
- Ladle the hot chickpea soup over the bread in each bowl, letting it soak in slightly.
- Top each bowl with a poached egg, a spoonful of harissa, a scattering of capers, and preserved lemon if using.
- Finish with a drizzle of good olive oil, a pinch of cumin, and chopped parsley.
- Serve immediately with lemon wedges, stirring everything together at the table.
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