Msabbaha with homemade cooked chickpeas and homemade raw tahini
Msabbaha is the warm version of hummus - whole warm chickpeas coated in tahini sauce, olive oil and spices. Traditionally served for breakfast in the Levant, it is a nourishing, rich alternative to the usual hummus spread. A deep, authentic flavor that recalls the village.
Soak the chickpeas overnight in plenty of cold water.
Bowl
💡Soak in plenty of water, well above what's being soaked: legumes and grains swell and drink water, and whatever sticks out stays hard. Drain well before continuing.
2
Drain, cover with plenty of unsalted water and cook 1.5–2 hours, skimming off the foam and skins from time to time, until the chickpeas are very soft and crush easily between your fingers.
ColanderStovePot
💡Fully cooked chickpeas crush between your fingers with no resistance at all. Chickpeas that stay a little firm make a grainy spread, and no amount of tahini will fix it.
3
Drain, reserving a cup of the cooking liquid.
Colander
For the Cooked chickpeas
4
Drain, reserving a cup of the cooking liquid.
Colander
For the Tahini sauce
5
Grind the sesame seeds in a powerful blender about 3 minutes, until smooth paste forms.
Blender
💡At first the sesame looks like dry crumbs: keep grinding, scraping down the sides, and after a few minutes it releases its oil and turns liquid.
💡In a food processor, grind in short pulses and check between pulses: it's easy to go from coarse to paste. (Sesame for tahini, on the other hand, is ground continuously.)
6
Taste and adjust the seasoning.
7
Mix the tahini, lemon juice and garlic and season with salt.
8
Gradually add cold water while stirring, until the sauce is creamy.
💡When you add the first water, the tahini thickens and looks like dough: that's fine. Keep adding water and stirring, and it loosens into a smooth sauce.
To assemble
9
Heat the cooked chickpeas with a little water.
StoveSmall saucepan
10
Transfer onto a flat plate and pour the tahini sauce over the top.
💡Serve msabbaha hot: the warm chickpeas warm the tahini from below, so it stays soft and coating.
11
Add the olive oil, cumin, paprika and parsley and serve hot.
201calories
6 gprotein
15 gcarbs
14 gfat
● protein 12%● carbs 28%● fat 60%
Per serving, servings (calculated for this version)
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Parsley: measured in tbsp in this recipe: 1 tbsp = 3.8 g · 36 kcal per 100 g · More about Parsley →
🔧 Tools needed (3) · 🍳 One cooking vessel
Stove· 💡 Workaround, changes the dish: Portable hot plate (one weaker burner) · Camping gas stove (One burner, outdoors) · Electric pressure cooker (multicooker) (One pot, no real shallow frying)
Small saucepan· Also works: Pot (None) · Frying pan (A deep pan for sauces)
Colander· Also works: Lid (a lid held slightly open over the sink, you lose a little) · Slotted spoon (for small amounts)
By the steps, as the recipe is built now: another version or addition can change the list.
