Lablabi

About This Recipe

Lablabi is one of Tunisia's most comforting street foods, sold by vendors called lablabistes from carts in the early morning and evening. The dish is infinitely customizable — the base of chickpea broth over stale bread remains constant, but diners add their own harissa, capers, tuna, and preserved lemon. The stale bread soaks up the spiced broth and transforms into something between a soup and a porridge.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 400 gcanned chickpeas(drained and rinsed)
• 1 litrechicken or vegetable broth
• 6 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 2 tspground cumin
• 2 tbspolive oil
• 4 largeeggs
• 4 tbspharissa
• 4 thickslices of stale bread(torn into pieces)
• 2 tbspcapers
• 1 tspsalt
• 2 tbsplemon juice

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the broth

   Heat olive oil in a pot. Add garlic and cumin, cook 1 minute. Add chickpeas and broth. Simmer 20 minutes.

2. 2

   Poach the eggs

   Create gentle whirlpools in simmering water and poach eggs for 3 minutes.

3. 3

   Assemble the bowl

   Place torn bread in a bowl. Ladle hot chickpea soup over the bread. Top with a poached egg.

4. 4

   Add garnishes

   Add a spoonful of harissa, capers, a drizzle of olive oil, and a squeeze of lemon.

Variations

• •

  Add canned tuna for extra protein

• •

  Use fried egg instead of poached

• •

  Top with preserved lemon for brightness

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

Storage

Best eaten immediately once assembled. Make broth ahead and store 3 days.

Frequently Asked Questions