Musabaha, Chickpeas Bathed in Tahini Sauce
Description
Musabaha, or msabaha, is a deeply flavorful and fragrant dip, thanks to chickpeas, tahini, garlic, and lemon juice. It may look like we’re talking about hummus, but not exactly. While the ingredients are similar, the technique, texture, and taste are quite different.
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried chickpeas
- 2 fresh lemons juiced
- ⅔ cup tahini
- 1 cup water
- 3 garlic cloves crushed
- Salt to taste
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda divided:
- ½ teaspoon for soaking the dried chickpeas
- 1 teaspoon for cooking the chickpeas
Instructions
- In a bowl, add the dried chickpeas and cover them with twice their volume of cold water. Add ½ teaspoon of baking soda and leave them on the kitchen bench to soak overnight.
- Once the chickpeas have been rehydrated, drain the soaking water and transfer them to a large pot. Cover with 1½ liters/6 cups of fresh water. Bring to a boil, skim off any scum that rises to the surface, then add the remaining baking soda. The baking soda will cause more scum to rise, so skim the surface again.Reduce the heat and simmer gently until the chickpeas are tender. They should be soft enough to mash easily when pressed between your fingers and almost falling apart. This will take about 1 hour or more, depending on the chickpeas. Add more hot water if they seem to be drying out during cooking.
Prepare the tahini sauce
It is crucial to stir the tahini jar well before using it, as the solids tend to settle at the bottom. Add the specified amount to a bowl, then whisk in the crushed garlic, lemon juice, and water.At first, you may notice that the mixture seizes up slightly when the liquids are added. Just keep whisking; it will quickly smooth out and homogenize with the other ingredients.You should end up with a considerably thin, paste-like consistency. If it looks too thick, add a little more water. Adjust the salt to taste—we don’t want the sauce to be bland.
- Prepare a deep serving plate. Using a slotted spoon, remove the warm chickpeas (it’s fine if some of the chickpea liquid comes with them) and transfer them to the serving plate. Drizzle with the lemony tahini sauce, then, using the back of a spoon, roughly mash the chickpeas. Make sure to keep them considerably chunky—this is one of the major differences between hummus bi tahini and musabaha: the consistency. Taste and adjust the salt one last time.
- Garnish: Sprinkle with cumin powder and paprika (if desired), then drizzle with a swirl of olive oil. Garnish with fresh mint leaves or parsley; thinly sliced red onion is another appealing option.
Video
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