Balila is a Lebanese dish using chickpeas, the ever useful store cupboard essential. Given that it’s a simpler form of its famous relation “hummus”, why isn’t it more known in the UK? In fact, it’s even easier to make than hummus and also thought to be healthier than eating puréed chickpeas.
Nada Saleh, a Lebanese food writer living in the UK, highlights the nutritional value of chickpeas in her book A Lebanese Table. “Rich in protein, good fats, carbohydrates, fibre and valuable vitamins and minerals”, the fact that they are also gluten-free may explain their new found popularity in the UK today. Since the chickpeas are eaten whole in balila, this appears to add to its health benefits. Tim Spector points out in Food for Life that “eating whole chickpeas, rather than pulverising them in a food processor, seems to have the most beneficial effect”.
Possibly the trickiest part of the recipe is remembering to soak the chickpeas (in Arabic they’re called hummus /حمص) overnight. A tin will do if you’ve forgotten, but to really celebrate this tasty pulse, Navarrico or queen chickpeas from the Bold Bean Company will set your balila apart. Just as the quality of the chickpeas makes a difference, good olive oil is essential. The recipe requires a fair bit of olive oil and Zejd’s extra virgin olive oil adds not just health benefits to the dish but also a peppery flavour to the crunchy texture of the chickpeas.
To be able to transform chickpeas with the aid of lemon, garlic, cumin and good extra virgin olive oil is empowering. This would be a good dish to recommend anyone heading off to university or leaving home. It’s cheap, doesn’t require fancy equipment and can be made quickly. More importantly it will give them the nutrition they need which can’t be said of most “fast foods”.
makes enough for 4 generous servings
300g dried chickpeas (or 2 x 400g tin or a jar of Navarrico)
1-2 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
120ml Zejd extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1 tbsp parsley chopped
2 slices of lemon cut up to serve (optional)
Best eaten warm, drizzle more EVOO over your serving as you scoop up the mixture with a piece of flat bread.
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