How to make Musabaha with award-winning chef Sami Tamimi

Musabaha: warm chickpeas with green chilli and lemon sauce 

Hummus should always be slightly warmer and ‘looser’ than those who are used to having little shop-bought pots in the fridge might expect. It should be creamy enough to eat with a spoon (or a strip of warm pitta, to be precise). Making musabaha, which works on the same principle as hummus, shows how good the combination of warm chickpeas, tahini, lemon and garlic really is.  It’s essentially hummus a step or two before it gets blitzed and lovely to eat throughout the day. It’s as hearty as porridge to set you up at breakfast or as part of a spread for lunch or supper.

Ingredients 

2 x 400g tins cooked chickpeas
2 tbsp olive oil, plus 1½ tbsp to serve
4 large garlic cloves, crushed
1 green chilli, finely chopped
1 tbsp ground cumin
100g tahini, plus some to serve
100g Greek-style yoghurt
2 tbsp lemon juice
Salt

Toasted pita
2 small pitas
1 tbsp olive oil

Green chilli and lemon
1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
3 tbsp lemon juice  
1½ tbsp vinegar
1 large garlic clove, crushed
2 tbls parsley, finely chopped 

To serve  
Sweet paprika

Drain and place the chickpeas in a medium saucepan with enough water just to cover them. Place on a medium heat, bring to a simmer and cook for about 8 minutes, just to soften up a bit more. Drain the chickpeas, reserving 100 millilitres of the cooking liquid, and set aside.

Whilst the chickpeas are cooking, prepare the other elements for the dish.

Set the oven to a 220C grill setting.

Pull open the pitas and then tear each half in two. Brush the insides of the pita lightly with oil and then place under the grill for about 2 minutes, until crisp and golden-brown. Keep a close eye on them when they are under the grill so that they don’t burn. Remove from the oven and, once cool enough to handle, break the pita apart into roughly 4-centimetre pieces. Set aside until ready to use. 

Mix together all the ingredients for the green chilli sauce along with 1/8th teaspoon of salt.

Once the chickpeas are cooked and drained, add the oil to a medium saucepan and place on a medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often, until the garlic is starting to colour. Add the chilli, cook for another minute and then add the chickpeas, reserved cooking liquid, cumin, tahini, yoghurt, lemon juice and ½ teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2-3 minutes, stirring from time to time.

To serve, transfer the warm chickpeas to a large serving plate with a lip or a wide shallow bowl. Spoon over the green chilli sauce? and then drizzle over some of the tahini. Sprinkle with the paprika and finish with a drizzle of oil. Serve toasted pita on the side.

About Sami Tamimi:

Sami Tamimi is a celebrated British-Palestinian chef, author, restaurateur and food consultant based in London. Tamimi has built an impressive and illustrious career, including well-known creative and business collaborations with Yotam Ottolenghi. He is known for a vibrant and bold cooking style, with modern recipes influenced by his homeland.