🫘 Balila (warm chickpeas)
Balila is a Levantine dish of whole chickpeas served warm in a little of their cooking liquid, dressed with crushed garlic, lemon juice, cumin and olive oil. The chickpeas are tender and creamy, the broth bright and garlicky. It is eaten for breakfast or as part of a mezze spread, usually scooped up with bread.
Diets
Allergens
None of the 14 major allergens in a typical recipe.
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 × 400 g cans chickpeas, or 250 g dried chickpeas, soaked and cooked
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed with salt
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Chopped parsley to serve
Method
- Warm the chickpeas in their liquid until hot.
- Mix the garlic, lemon juice and cumin in a bowl.
- Drain the chickpeas, keeping a little liquid, and toss with the dressing.
- Spoon into bowls, drizzle with olive oil and scatter parsley.
How to make it lighter
- Chickpeas are filling; a bowl with salad makes a complete light meal.
- Drizzle a teaspoon of olive oil per bowl instead of a tablespoon (about 120 kcal).
- Add extra lemon and cumin to keep the flavour bright without more oil.
History
Balila is a long-standing breakfast and mezze dish in Lebanon, Syria and Palestine, sharing its ingredients with hummus but served whole and warm.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →