The Iraqi Family Cookbook

The Iraqi Family Cookbook
Purchase the new edition on Amazon

Friday, May 24, 2013

Lamb with Chickpeas Soup- Tashreeb Laham باللبلبي تشريب


Chickpeas is a very popular legume that we add to a large variety of dishes. We add it to bulgur pilaf, a stew, or for salad. Street vendors sell a bowl of lablabi with a slice of lemon. It is a very satisfying and delicious snack.
For this recipe, you can use canned chickpeas, but traditionally we soak the dry chickpeas in a bowl of water overnight.  The following day, we cook them in a pot of water for an hour until the chickpeas are soft. Then add salt and sometimes we add turmeric and Arabian spices.
1 pound lamb shoulder, cubed with bones
4 cups water
1 onion, sliced
1 (15-ounce can) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon bahar (Arabian spice)
Tannour bread or Nan for serving
Rinse the lamb, and put in a pot with water. Bring to a boil. Add the onions, salt and spices and cook for 45 minutes until meat is tender. Add the chickpeas and simmer for 10 more minutes.
To serve this soup, put a few pieces of tanour bread in a bowl and scoop the soup over it. Serve slices of lemon and scallions with the soup.
Sometimes we add Noomi Basra (dried lime) to this soup to give it a sour flavor. If you are using whole dried lime, make sure to remove the seeds before adding them to the soup as they give a bitter flavor.
Enjoy!