Algeria: Hummus bi'l Kammun - Spicy Chickpea Soup

My partner has a severe allergy to sesame (among a variety of other foods). When I placed this in front of him and told him what it was called, he turned to me wide-eyed. "Hummus?" he exclaimed, uncertainly.

Yes dear, hummus. But not hummus with tahini. Not the snack food that I munch on with carrot sticks and crackers. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, hummus is defined as a "soft smooth food made from crushed chickpeas, oil, and lemon juice." Tahini is just a bonus addition, which this recipe does not call for. 

Hummus bi'l Kammun is supposed to be silky smooth, as a result of using an immersion blender. I do not have an immersion blender. I have a food processor. Needless to say, my soup was not silky smooth. It wasn't lumpy, but it was very bitsy. If you have an immersion blender, or maybe even a regular blender, I would recommend using that over a food processor.

I was pulling out the ingredients from my cupboard to get everything ready, when I stopped and had a mild panic attack. No harissa. The jar that I thought I had was missing and all I had instead was a jar of chipotle paste. Not the same thing. I quickly googled "harissa substitutes" and came up with various other ingredients which I also did not have. Well, I thought. I'll just have to make a salad to go with our cocas instead.

Then I looked down and my problem was immediately solved: right there on the counter in front of me was my jar of harissa. I'd already taken it out of the cupboard in preparation. What a moron. 

This soup smelled amazing as I cooked it. The blend of the harissa, cumin and paprika were excellent. I would suggest adding more harissa if you like spice, as the recipe comes out quite mild once the chickpeas are all blended up. 

Yum!

A gentle simmer - look at that gorgeous colour!

Blending it up

The finished product, served with cocas

Ingredients

Serves 2

• 1 x 400g chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon harissa (or more to taste)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2.5 cups water
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. In a large pot over medium heat, add garlic, oil, cumin, paprika, harissa, tomato paste, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes, then add water and chickpeas. (Reserve some chickpeas for garnish if you fancy it).
2. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer.
3. Use an immersion blender to blend to a puree. Simmer gently for about 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
4. Blend again, getting it perfectly smooth. Add more water if you prefer a thinner soup. 
5. Ladle into serving bowls. Garnish with remaining chickpeas, and serve with crusty bread.