Chickpea Balila, Middle-Eastern Street Food Style

Chickpea Balila, Middle-Eastern Street Food Style

This is a tasty, cheap and easy snack to make. The chickpeas, argan oil, and cumin give it a variety of health benefits and make it particularly good if you've got respiratory problems. Variations of this dish are common street food in parts of the Middle East such as Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Morocco. 

Ingredients

Dry chickpeas, soaked overnight. (Canned will not work since you need the stock.)
Salt
Powdered cumin
Argan oil

Optional

Lemon
Paprika
Toasted Pitta Bread Pieces

Method

Pour the soaked chickpeas into a saucepan and cover with apx 1 inch of slightly salted water. ( You don't want too much water since you want the stock to be flavorsome, if it dries up you can always top up.) Boil on a low heat for approximately 2 hours, remove any foam that may appear while cooking. When the chickpeas are soft and tender pour into bowls with the stock and mash up a little if you like. Top with powdered cumin and a generous drizzle of argan oil. Add a squeeze of lemon and paprika if you like. You can also add small squares of toasted pitta bread when serving. Keeps well overnight.