Cold Chickpea-Tahini Soup

By Mark Bittman

Cold Chickpea-Tahini Soup
Evan Sung for The New York Times; Food stylist: Suzanne Lenzer. Prop stylist: Kaitlyn DuRoss.
Total Time
15 minutes
Rating
4(684)
Comments
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Chickpeas have an irresistibly robust and nutty flavor, and a texture that can run from crunchy to tender. Dried chickpeas take longer to cook than other beans (two hours is a likely cooking time); use enough water, and the process is stress-free.

One major benefit to cooking chickpeas yourself — aside from the superior flavor and texture — is that the water you cook them in becomes particularly rich and flavorful by the time they’re done. Save it for soups like the cold one here, which is a refreshing riff on hummus.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings.
  • 1cup chopped tomatoes
  • 1cup chopped cucumber
  • ¼cup chopped red onion
  • ¼cup chopped pitted olives
  • ¼cup chopped fresh parsley
  • Salt and freshly groundblack pepper
  • 3cups cooked or canned chickpeas
  • 3tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1tablespoon olive oil, plus morefor drizzling
  • ¼teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1small garlic clove
  • 2 to 3tablespoons tahini
  • ½cup crumbled feta
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

215 calories; 11 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 23 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 9 grams protein; 377 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Combine the chopped tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, olives, parsley and a sprinkle of salt and pepper in a small bowl; set aside.

  2. Step 2

    In a blender, combine the chickpeas, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, cumin, garlic, tahini and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Gradually add water (start with 1 cup) and blend until smooth and thin enough to pour. Taste and adjust seasoning. Pour into bowls, and top with the chopped-vegetable mixture, some crumbled feta, a sprinkle of cumin (if you like) and a generous drizzle of olive oil.

Ratings

4 out of 5
684 user ratings
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Comments

Nancy

Ilene's description was spot on--hummus in a bowl. I used 1 tsp cumin, 3 large cloves of garlic, chopped, and about twice the lemon juice (used 2 whole lemons). Two 14 ounce cans of chickpeas is a small handful more than 3 cups. I put the left overs in the soup for a little extra texture. I used 1-3/4 cup of water--this yielded 4 cups of broth. I used about the amount of cucumber, red onion and tomatoes as called for, as one serving of vegetables. Doing so makes a more substantial chunky soup.

mdurphy

So what would happen if liquid hummus meets gazpacho? Actually, it's pretty good. Add 1 1/2 cups each tomatoes & cucumbers to the puree. Use 2-3 cloves garlic, 4 T lemon juice, 1/2 to 1 t cumin and a little hot sauce. Thin with water or ice cubes, then adjust at the end with salt and 1 T white wine vinegar. This is still more Jerusalem than Barcelona, but it's more interesting than the straight hummus version.

mark t

Try a generous sprinkle of Sumac across the top. The red ocher color presents nicely and adds more complexity to the lemon flavor.

deb

Use more lemon, garlic, cumin. Try sumac or zaatar as others suggested next time. Served w toasted pita and Greek salad, using all the extra ingredients from recipe…

Alexandra E.

Hummus soup! What a marvelous idea. Thanks to everyone's input, I increased the lemon, garlic, cumin ,tahini and water. I used two whole lemons and blended them into the soup and they added a great lemon flavor.

deb

Read the comments and paid attention. I added countless spices including smoked paprika, coriander, sumac and others that I can’t remember, then it was quite remarkable. Let your imagination be your guide. Because I am plant-based I added plant - based feta—all good! Great soup for a hot summer day.

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