The Chickpea Stew Recipe (also called Hummus bi’l-Kammun in Algeria) was so darn easy to make! The entire process of cooking the soup takes about 20 minutes of your time and very little effort to throw together. Topping the soup with shredded mint leaves provides a fresh aftertaste that complements the harissa sauce beautifully!
I’m still new to my journey of cooking one meal from every country in the world, and I am so excited to be making a soup today!! (Edit: I’ve now cooked so many delicious soups from around the world, which can be found here).
It’s been a while since I’ve made soup, and I can still smell this chickpea stew on the stovetop as I’m writing this. It made for one happy blogger today!
This stew is so quick and easy to put together, and it tastes fantastic! As cold weather gets closer, I can only imagine that I’ll be having this soup simmering on the stove often.
The step that takes the longest with this recipe is shelling the chickpeas. It’s an easy task, but taking the shelling off of three cans of chickpeas is, I admit, time consuming.
The good thing is, though, that I sat down at my kitchen table and did this while I was watching a movie (The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society if I’m being exact) on Netflix I highly recommended this combination of activities for 20 minutes of destressing, if I do say so myself.
What is Chickpea Stew?
You may have seen chickpea stew made in many different ways before. For example, Allison Roman has a pretty popular recipe for chickpea stew out there in the universe.
This version of chickpea stew, also called Hummu bi’l-Kammun, originated in Algeria. It’s made by taking fresh chickpeas and blending them into a paste.
This paste is then combined with liquid to thicken into a beautiful, smooth soup. You can then top your soup with fresh mint leaves or a drizzle of olive oil and it is pure perfection!
The best part about this recipe is that it comes together so easily, and takes very little skill (kind of like my Split Pea Soup in an Instant Pot recipe!) Simply blend and simmer. 20 minutes later, you look like a spectacular chef.
What Ingredients are in Chickpea Stew?
Canned chickpeas
Olive oil
Garlic
Cumin
Paprika
Harissa
Tomato Paste
Water
Mint Leaves
Salt and Pepper
How to Make this Recipe
Open the chickpea cans and drain.
Squeeze each chickpea lightly to remove the casing from each bean and discard the skins. Put aside 1/2 of these shelled chickpeas.
Put the shelled chickpeas (except for the reserved 1/2 cup) in a blender and blend them. They will turn out crumbly and appear a little dry.
Heat oil in a saucepan. Sauté garlic in the oil until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Then add cumin, paprika, harissa (if desired), tomato paste, salt and pepper. Let cook, stirring occasionally, for about 2-3 minutes.
Add the four cups of water, cover, and bring to a boil.
Add the pureed chickpeas from the blender into the boiling water and let cook for about 15 minutes or until the soup is hot.
Pour the rest of the reserved, whole chickpeas into the soup and sprinkle with fresh mint.
Enjoy! Leave a comment on this post letting me know what you thought!
How Long Does Chickpea Stew Last?
Cooked chickpeas can generally last for about 5 days in the fridge. That’s about how long I would recommend keeping this soup around for.
As long as your soup is in an airtight container in the fridge, it should last for 5 or so days.
If you want to freeze your soup, you are welcome to do so (frozen soup is the best!!). The best option for doing this is to, again, put your soup in an airtight container. You can store the soup in the fridge for up to 6 months.
When you want to eat your soup, make sure to take it out of the fridge about 12 hours before you want to eat it to allow ample time to thaw.
Are Chickpeas and Garbanzo Beans the Same Thing?
This is a great question, and something that I had wondered for almost all of my life.
Yes, chickpeas and garbanzo beans are the same thing! Generically speaking, the legume is often called garbanzo beans in latin cooking, and chickpeas in Middle Eastern cooking.
Whatever you call it, the legume is the same. Whether your can says garbanzo beans or chickpeas, you can use it to make this recipe!
With each new country comes new delicious discoveries and new recipes I’m adding to my rotation of regular meals. Make sure to try this Algerian Chickpea Stew, because I have a feeling you might feel the same way.
Thanks so much for reading this post! If you liked this recipe, you might also like these other recipes I picked out just for you!
- Algerian Shortbread Cookies
- Algerian Sweet Lamb
- Algerian Cucumber Salad with Pistachios
- 8 Easy Soup Recipes from Around the World
- Split Pea Soup
- Cucumber Yogurt Soup
Chickpea Stew
Ingredients
- 3 15 oz cans chickpeas, drained
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 large garlic clove, crushed
- 1 tsp cumin seeds, freshly ground
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp harissa, optional
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 4 cups water
- 3 tbsp fresh mint leaves, chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Open the chickpea cans and drain.
- Squeeze each chickpea lightly to remove the casing from each bean and discard the skins. Put aside 1/2 of these shelled chickpeas.
- Put the shelled chickpeas (except for the reserved 1/2 cup) in a blender and blend them. They will turn out crumbly and appear a little dry.
- Heat oil in a saucepan. Sauté garlic in the oil until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Then add cumin, paprika, harissa (if desired), tomato paste, salt and pepper. Let cook, stirring occasionally, for about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the four cups of water, cover, and bring to a boil.
- Add the pureed chickpeas from the blender into the boiling water and let cook for about 15 minutes or until the soup is hot.
- Pour the rest of the reserved, whole chickpeas into the soup and sprinkle with fresh mint.
- Enjoy! Leave a comment on this post letting me know what you thought!
cathy says
It was really good, I really love chickpeas!
Alexandria Drzazgowski says
I also love chickpeas!! Thank you so much for making it and for sharing your experience.