Chickpeas Fatteh

Hummos, chickpeas fatteh and moghrabiyeh are 3 popular street food in Tripoli. If you’ve ever been to Tripoli before, and visited the old town, you’ve probably been introduced to «Moghrabiyet Dabboussi»; aka the famous moghrabiyeh sandwich.

You’ve probably noticed, as you roam the old streets, the numerous shops, small boutiques, that prepare foul, hummos and fatteh!

This is Tripoli’s traditional street food. Delicious, fulfilling and cheap. Everyone enjoys it. It’s what I love in my Tripoli. A city famously labeled as “ام الفقير”  “oum al fakir” (mother of the poor) because anyone can afford to live in it, even with very low salaries and bad  economic situations.  A food blogger called NogarlicNoonions has made a documentary about what you can eat in Tripoli for just 25,000 LL (that’s 16$). Check it, You’ll be amazed ! 

My Tripoli… the city of good, modest and humble people! With all its chaos, I still love it and always anticipate my next. I can’t wait to be there and take you on a tour in my old city!

Ingredients:

Servings : 6 persons

Prep Time : 15 mins

Cooking time : 15 mins

• 3 cups boiled chickpeas
• 6 small arabic bread
• 2 TBsp butter
• 400 g labneh *
• 2 TBsp tahini paste
• 2 garlic cloves 
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup fried pine nuts with butter
• 2 TBps chopped parsley 
• 2 Tsp red vinegar

Instructions:

1. In a pot boil chickpeas . Keep them in water
2. Cut arabic bread into small pieces add to a pan with butter and cook until lightly golden and crispy.**
3. Mix labneh with tahini, garlic vinegar and salt. 
4. Add 3 TBsp from the chickpeas boiling water and mix with the labneh. 
5. In a serving dish start by layering the arabic bread.
6. Add the boiled chickpeas with 3 TBsp of the chickpeas boiling water.
7. Add the labneh mixture on top. 
8. Fry pine nuts with 1 TBsp butter and them on top of the labneh with some chopped parsley.

Notes:

*The tripolitan way to make fatteh is to use yogurt instead of labneh but this is my own version feel free to make it the way you like.

**You can just toss it a bit in butter or ghee if you don’t like crispy this is the way we like it at home.