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Tunisian · Maghrebi

Lablabi

Non-vegetarian

لبلابي · lablabi

Garlicky, cumin-heavy chickpea broth ladled over torn stale bread and finished with olive oil, lemon and harissa, often with a soft egg on top. A cheap, filling Tunisian breakfast and street dish.

Lablabi is a Tunisian soup, ready in about 1 hour 25 minutes and made with dried chickpeas, garlic and cumin. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
A serving of Lablabi
Photo: Habib M’henni / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
10 min
Cook
1 h 15 min
Total
1 h 25 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
515

Plus overnight soaking of the chickpeas.

Ingredients

4 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Drain the soaked chickpeas and simmer in the water until very tender, skimming off any foam.

  2. Step 2

    Pound the garlic (opens in a new tab) with the cumin (opens in a new tab) and a pinch of the salt to a paste. Stir into the chickpeas with the paprika (opens in a new tab), cayenne and remaining salt and simmer 5 minutes.

    Spices being ground in a mortar and pestle
    How it looks · Photo: https://kaboompics.com/ on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Put the torn bread in deep bowls and ladle the hot chickpeas and plenty of broth over it.

    • 2 min

  4. Step 4

    Top with olive oil (opens in a new tab) and lemon juice (opens in a new tab), and add an egg (opens in a new tab), harissa (opens in a new tab), capers (opens in a new tab) or tuna as you like. Stir everything together before eating.

      Food safety: If adding a raw or very soft egg, make sure the broth is boiling hot; use a fully cooked egg for vulnerable people.

    About this dish

    Origin
    Tunisia · Well documentedMore food from Tunisia
    Dish
    Breakfast · Lunch · Soups · Street food
    Cooking method
    Simmered, Boiled
    Taste
    garlicky, earthy, spicy (chilli heat), tangy
    Diet
    Pescatarian · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
    All labelsPescatarian · Non-vegetarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free
    Without the optional extras: Vegan, Plant-based, Vegetarian (lacto-ovo), Eggetarian, Lacto-vegetarian, Ovo-vegetarian, Egg-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    Budget-friendly · One-pot · Street food
    Cook more with
    Dried chickpeas · Garlic · Cumin · Crusty bread / baguette · Paprika · Cayenne / chilli powder
    Techniques
    Boiling · Simmering

    Allergens

    • Contains, can be adapted: Eggsfrom egg
    • Contains, can be adapted: Fishfrom canned tuna
    • Contains: Wheatfrom crusty bread / baguette
    • Contains: Glutenfrom crusty bread / baguette
    • May contain: Sesamefrom crusty bread / baguette

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    515 kcal per serving

    Calculated

    1 serving ≈ 591 g · recipe makes 4

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 15%
    • Carbohydrate 52%
    • Fat 33%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy515 kcal87 kcal
    Protein19.8 g3.4 g
    Carbohydrate68.8 g11.6 g
    Net carbohydrate58.3 g9.9 g
    Sugars10 g1.7 g
    Added sugars0 g0 g
    Fibre10.4 g1.8 g
    Fat19.2 g3.3 g
    Saturated fat2.5 g0.4 g
    Trans fat0 g0 g
    Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
    Sodium1115 mg189 mg
    Salt equivalent2.8 g0.5 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    648 mg
    Calcium
    129 mg
    Iron
    5.6 mg
    Magnesium
    87 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    22 µg
    Vitamin C
    8 mg
    Vitamin D
    0 µg
    Vitamin B12
    0 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    480 µg

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
    • Optional ingredients are not included: egg, harissa, capers, canned tuna.
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Tips

    • Day-old bread works best — it soaks up the broth without falling apart.

    Common mistakes

    • Using fresh bread — it turns to mush; stale bread soaks up the broth and holds together.

    Serve with

    • Set out harissa, cumin, olive oil and lemons so everyone can season their own bowl.

    Storage

    • Refrigerate chickpeas in their broth up to 4 days.

    Reheating

    • Bring back to the boil before serving over fresh bread.

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    What the dish is built around

    Main ingredient

    Used in steps 1, 2, 3, 4

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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