1394. Iraqi Red Chickpea Stew

This stew is an invention of my sister during the holy month of Ramadan. She started off making lablabi, the Iraqi boiled chickpeas but with the addition of lamb chunks. As she was making it, she was inspired to make a couple of additions, effectively transforming the simple soup into a full-blown stew.
Additions include spices along the tashreeb profile, namely turmeric, curry powder, and dried limes.Then, tomatoes in two different forms made the stew a warming red. Upon tasting the magnificence that is this stew upon iftar, I urged her to write the recipe as moments of inspiration are too often lost in the winds of time, rarely to be fully recovered. May Allah reward her for sharing the recipe.




Ingredients:

750g lamb meat on bone
1 1/2 cup dried chickpeas
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp baking soda
1 cube bouillon
1 flat tsp salt
1 Tbsp Madras curry powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 fresh green chilli
2 noomi (dried lime)



Method:

Soak chickpeas with half a teaspoon of baking soda overnight.
Cook meat and drained chickpeas with excess fresh water and the remaining half teaspoon of baking soda in a pressure cooker for 45 minutes.
Drain the meat chunks, reserving the broth on the side, and sear in some oil until browned on all sides. Add the chopped onions to the meat and saute until wilted and starting to color.
Add the spices, salt, and bouillon cube and stir until fragrant. Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, fresh chilli, and noomi and stir for a minute longer. Return the semi-boiled chikpeas and the reserved broth to the pot of seared spiced meat.
Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for one hour to one and a half hours more until the meat and chickpeas are tender and the stew is to the thickness of your liking. Serve with rice.

صحة و عافية