Chunky Balila With Citrus Explosion
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
- Course: Soup
- Features: Meatless, Fast, Gluten-Free
Summary:
Simple to prepare and lightly seasoned, this is Reem Azoury's version of balila, chickpeas boiled with garlic, lemon juice and spices, served in her native Lebanon. Mashing half the chickpeas as they cook creates the right texture and thickness. You'll have garlic-lemon dressing left over.
Four to six 1-cup servings, plus a base for related recipes
Ingredients:
- 5 cloves garlic, crushed to a paste
- 1 cup lemon juice
- 1 cup olive oil
- 1 can (6 pounds, 14 ounces) chickpeas, with liquid
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 pinch saffron threads
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- sweet paprika, for garnish
Directions:
In a container with a tight-fitting lid, combine the crushed garlic, lemon juice and olive oil. Cover and shake until well blended. Set aside.
Place the chickpeas and their liquid in a large pot over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil. Add the turmeric, saffron threads, cumin and coriander, stirring to combine. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring and mashing about half of the chickpeas with a mortar or the back of a ladle, until the mixture has thickened slightly. Reserve 4 cups of the cooked chickpeas with about 1 cup of the liquid for the hummus recipe that follows.
To serve, divide among individual bowls and add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the garlic-lemon dressing to the center of each bowl; reserve the remaining dressing for another use and the remaining balila for the stew recipe that follows. Top with chopped parsley, and sprinkle with paprika. Serve hot.
Recipe Source:
Adapted from Reem Azoury, co-owner and chef of Figs, a cafe in the Palisades neighborhood of Northwest Washington.
E-mail the Food Section with recipe questions.
(Michael Robinson Chavez)
