Tunisia | Breakfast

Lablabi

Tunisia's beloved chickpea soup poured over torn stale bread, loaded with harissa, cumin, garlic, and a drizzle of olive oil. A fiery, nourishing breakfast staple.

Country
Tunisia
Region
North Africa
Time
60 min
Serves
4
Level
easy
Recipe overview

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Lablabi is the ultimate Tunisian street food, served from early morning in small hole-in-the-wall shops across Tunis, Sousse, and Sfax. Workers and students line up for a warm bowl before starting their day. Each diner customises their bowl with as much harissa, cumin, capers, and olive oil as they like. It is simple, frugal cooking at its most satisfying — transforming humble chickpeas and stale bread into something extraordinary.

What the dish tastes like

Tunisia's beloved chickpea soup poured over torn stale bread, loaded with harissa, cumin, garlic, and a drizzle of olive oil. A fiery, nourishing breakfast staple.

When to cook it

Best for Breakfast, cold winter mornings, with a easy cooking level and about 60 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

Crusty bread, pickled turnips, and olives

Follow the collection route

Lablabi belongs to 2 AfroKitchen collections. Vegetarian Africa is the strongest cluster route to start from. Vegetarian Africa

Servings: 4

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How to cook it

Step-by-step instructions

Back to Tunisia
1
Cook the chickpeas
Drain the soaked chickpeas and place in a large pot. Cover with fresh water, add 1 tsp baking soda, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes until very tender.
The baking soda helps the chickpeas get extra soft and creamy.
Cook chickpeas 40:00
2
Season the broth
Stir in the crushed garlic, harissa, cumin, salt, and pepper into the chickpea broth. Simmer for another 5 minutes to let the flavours infuse.
Adjust the harissa to your heat preference — Tunisians like it fiery.
Season broth 05:00
3
Prepare the bowls
Place a generous handful of torn bread pieces in each serving bowl.
Day-old or stale bread works best as it absorbs the broth without disintegrating.
4
Assemble and serve
Ladle the hot chickpea broth and chickpeas over the bread. Drizzle generously with olive oil, squeeze lemon juice over the top, and scatter capers if using. Serve immediately.
Some like to crack a raw egg into the hot broth — the heat gently cooks it.

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