Lablabi

Lablabi

Lablabi (lahb-LAH-bee)

Chickpea Soup

Prep Time 30 min
📈 Difficulty Easy
👥 Servings
4
🔥 Calories 380 kcal
Rating 5.0 (1)

Hearty chickpea soup ladled over torn stale bread, seasoned with cumin, garlic, harissa, and olive oil. Tunisia's beloved comfort breakfast.

Nutrition & Info

380 kcal per serving
Protein 16.0g
Carbs 52.0g
Fat 12.0g
Protein Carbs Fat

Dietary

dairy-free nut-free

Allergen Warnings

⚠ fish ⚠ gluten

Equipment Needed

large pot ladle serving bowls

Presentation Guide

Vessel: deep bowl with torn bread

Garnishes: olive oil, harissa, cumin, capers

Accompaniments: soft-boiled egg, pickled turnips

Instructions

  1. 1

    Pour the broth into a large saucepan and bring it to a boil over high heat. Add the cooked chickpeas, minced garlic, cumin, and ground coriander. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for fifteen minutes until the chickpeas are heated through and very tender.

  2. 2

    Stir two tablespoons of harissa paste into the simmering broth, adjusting the amount based on your heat preference. The broth should turn a warm orange-red colour and have a noticeable but not overwhelming spicy kick that will be tempered by the bread and toppings.

  3. 3

    While the chickpeas simmer, tear the day-old bread into rough, bite-sized chunks and divide them among four deep serving bowls. The bread should be sturdy enough to absorb the hot broth without dissolving completely into a paste.

  4. 4

    If including eggs, crack each egg into a small cup and gently slide them one at a time into the simmering chickpea broth. Poach for three to four minutes until the whites are set but the yolks remain soft and runny in the centre.

  5. 5

    Ladle the hot chickpeas and their spiced broth generously over the torn bread in each bowl, ensuring the bread is well soaked. If poaching eggs, carefully lift each egg with a slotted spoon and place one on top of each serving.

  6. 6

    Finish each bowl with a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a spoonful of additional harissa, a scattering of capers, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Season with salt and serve immediately while the bread is still absorbing the aromatic broth.

💡

Did You Know?

Lablabi is considered the ultimate hangover cure in Tunisia.

Chef's Notes

Equipment Tips

  • large pot
  • ladle
  • serving bowls

Garnishing

olive oil, harissa, cumin, capers

Accompaniments

soft-boiled egg, pickled turnips

The Story Behind Lablabi

The Story: Lablabi is Tunisia's ultimate comfort food: a hearty chickpea soup ladled over torn pieces of stale bread, seasoned with cumin, garlic, lemon juice, and a generous spoonful of harissa, then finished with a drizzle of olive oil and optional garnishes of capers, olives, and soft-boiled egg. The dish is a masterpiece of frugal cooking, born in working-class neighborhoods where wasting bread was unthinkable. Chickpeas have been cultivated in Tunisia since antiquity, and the practice of softening stale bread in broth connects lablabi to ancient Mediterranean survival cuisine.

On the Calendar: Lablabi is a cold-weather staple, consumed primarily from autumn through spring. It is traditionally a breakfast or late-night dish, sold from hole-in-the-wall shops that open before dawn to serve workers and night owls alike.

Then & Now: Lablabi remains proudly working-class, resisting gentrification and fine-dining reinterpretation. The best versions are still found in tiny, unmarked shops in the medinas of Tunis, Sousse, and Sfax, where each customer customizes their bowl from a counter of condiments.

Legacy: Lablabi proves that poverty and genius are not opposites. It is Tunisia's most democratic dish, beloved by every class and served in the same chipped bowls that nourished generations before.

🕐 Traditionally enjoyed breakfast, late-night meal 📜 Origins: Medieval

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