Lablabi

Background

Lablabi is a Tunisian street-side bowl built on dried chickpeas simmered with garlic, cumin, and caraway seeds, then ladled over stale bread and dressed with harissa, olive oil, and lemon. Many stalls finish it with soft-cooked eggs, and optional toppings such as canned tuna, capers, chopped parsley, a pinch of salt, and a crack of black pepper.

Hearty, fragrant, and customizable, it’s perfect for cool mornings, quick lunches, or late-night comfort.

Ingredients

• 2 cups dried chickpeas, picked over and rinsed
• 8 cups water, plus more for soaking
• 1 tablespoon salt, divided
• 4 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon crushed caraway seeds
• 2 to 3 tablespoons harissa, to taste
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges
• 4 cups torn stale bread
• 4 eggs (soft-boiled or poached)
• 2 tablespoons capers (optional)
• 1 can canned tuna, drained (optional)
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon vinegar for poaching (optional)

Step-by-step

1. Soak the base: Rinse the dried chickpeas and cover with several inches of cool water. Let soak for 8–12 hours until noticeably plumped.
2. Cook until tender: Drain, then place the dried chickpeas in a pot with 8 cups fresh water, the garlic, and 2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to a gentle simmer, and cook until creamy-tender, about 60–90 minutes, adding hot water as needed to keep them covered.
3. Season the broth: Stir in the cumin and caraway seeds. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons harissa and a spoon of the cooking liquid to bloom it, then return the mixture to the pot. Taste and adjust salt.
4. Prepare the toppings: Soft-boil the eggs for 6–7 minutes or poach for 3 minutes in barely bubbling water with a splash of vinegar. Tear the stale bread into bite-size pieces. Chop the parsley. Open the canned tuna and drain well. Set out bowls with extra harissa, olive oil, lemon wedges, capers, and black pepper.
5. Assemble: Put a generous handful of stale bread in each bowl. Ladle in hot dried chickpeas and broth to soak the stale bread. Swirl in a teaspoon of harissa, drizzle with olive oil, dust with a pinch of cumin and caraway seeds, crack on some black pepper, and squeeze lemon to taste. Add a few capers and a spoon of canned tuna if you like, then nestle in an eggs.
6. Finish and serve: Let the bowl sit a minute so the stale bread softens. Taste and add a pinch more salt or a dab of harissa. Garnish with parsley and another drizzle of olive oil.

Tips and variations

• Heat level: Start with a little harissa and build; its intensity varies by brand.
• Eggs: For a runny center, keep the eggs on the shorter end of the timing; for firmer, extend by a minute on the timer.
• Texture: Balance the ratio of broth to stale bread to your liking; add a splash of hot water if it thickens too much.
• Garnish bar: Offer bowls of chopped parsley, extra harissa, wedges of lemon, a drizzle of olive oil, briny capers, flaky canned tuna, and freshly cracked black pepper.
• Vegan option: Skip the eggs and the canned tuna; load up on harissa, olive oil, lemon, and parsley.

How to enjoy

Eat Lablabi piping hot so the stale bread drinks in the broth. Stir the harissa to tint the soup, break the eggs so the yolk enriches it, and finish each spoonful with a bright squeeze of lemon, a thread of olive oil, a touch of salt, and a flick of black pepper. If you crave extra brine or protein, fold in more capers and canned tuna.

Storage

Refrigerate the cooked dried chickpeas and broth separately from the stale bread and toppings for up to 4 days, then reheat gently, assemble fresh with stale bread, and finish with harissa, olive oil, lemon, and newly cooked eggs.