Warm whole chickpeas in tahini sauce with cumin, olive oil and lemon — hummus's soulful, rustic cousin.
Msabbaha (also spelled musabbaha) is eaten throughout the Levant and is one of the great breakfast and lunch dishes of Israeli Arab culture. Unlike smooth hummus, msabbaha is served warm with whole, just-cooked chickpeas floating in a loose tahini sauce spiked with lemon and cumin, topped with a generous pour of olive oil. It has a more textured, immediate character than hummus and is deeply comforting.
Serves 4
Heat chickpeas with 4 tbsp of their reserved liquid in a pot over medium heat until hot and steaming.
Whisk tahini with lemon juice, garlic, cumin and salt. Thin with cold water to a pourable sauce consistency.
Pour most of the tahini sauce into the warm chickpeas. Stir gently to coat.
Ladle into shallow bowls. Pour remaining tahini sauce over the top.
Drizzle generously with olive oil. Dust with paprika and scatter fresh parsley. Serve immediately with warm pita bread.
Serving warm is what makes msabbaha different from hummus — don't let it cool.
A spoon of very good olive oil makes a dramatic difference to the final dish.
Mash a few chickpeas with the back of a spoon for a thicker, creamier base.
Top with a spoonful of prepared hummus for a richer version.
Add a fried egg on top for a complete breakfast.
Refrigerate for 3 days. Reheat gently with a splash of water; add tahini and olive oil fresh.
Msabbaha is eaten across the Levant — Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. In Israel it is particularly associated with Arab-Israeli hummusia (hummus restaurants) that open at dawn for the breakfast crowd.
Hummus is blended smooth and served cold or room temperature. Msabbaha is served warm with whole chickpeas and a looser tahini sauce — more rustic and comforting.
Per serving · 4 servings total
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