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Chickpea and Saffron Broth

Chickpea and Saffron Broth is a traditional North African recipe for a chickpea (grabanzo) and vegetable soup flavoured and coloured with saffron. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic North African version of Saffron and Chickpea Broth.

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

150 minutes

Total Time:

170 minutes

Serves:

4

Rating: 4.5 star rating

Tags : Chilli RecipesVegetarian RecipesSpice RecipesNorth-africa Recipes



This is a very colourful soup, infused with the richness of saffron.

Ingredients:

250g dried chickpeas (tinned chickpeas will not work in this recipe)
4 courgettes (zucchini), finely diced
4 ripe tomatoes, finely diced
2 medium-sized onions, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 red chilli
1 bayleaf
1 generous pinch of good saffron
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander

Method:

Soak the chickpeas overnight in plenty of cold water. The following day, drain and rinse the chickpeas and pour into the base of a large pot. Cover with water and bring to the boil (skim-off any foam that rises to the surface). Add the chilli and bay leaf, add a further cupful of water, bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and cover with a lid. Cook for at least two hours (checking the water level frequently) and ensure that the chickpeas are soft at the end of this time.

When the chickpeas are done, add the courgette, onions and tomatoes to the pot. Bring back to the boil and skim-off any fresh foam rising to the top. Check the water level, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for a further half hour. At the end of this time add the garlic and saffron. Season then cook for a further five minutes. Take off the heat, add the chopped herbs and serve immediately. (In fact the soup will taste better if left for a day and re-heated the next day, though you may have to add a little more saffron).