Cold Chickpea-Tahini Soup

By Mark Bittman

Updated June 6, 2016

  • Evan Sung for The New York Times; Food stylist: Suzanne Lenzer. Prop stylist: Kaitlyn DuRoss.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
15 minutes
Rating
4(709)
Comments
Read comments

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.

Featured in: What Can’t You Make With Chickpeas?

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Share this recipe

  • Print this recipe

    or to print this recipe.

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings.

  • 1 cup chopped tomatoes

  • 1 cup chopped cucumber

  • ¼ cup chopped red onion

  • ¼ cup chopped pitted olives

  • ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

  • Salt and freshly groundblack pepper

  • 3 cups cooked or canned chickpeas

  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus morefor drizzling

  • ¼ teaspoon ground cumin

  • 1 small garlic clove

  • 2 to 3 tablespoons tahini

  • ½ cup crumbled feta

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 to 6 servings)

23 grams carbs; 11 milligrams cholesterol; 215 calories; 4 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 11 grams fat; 6 grams fiber; 377 milligrams sodium; 9 grams protein; 5 grams sugar

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.

Powered by

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.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Ratings

4 out of 5
709 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

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.

cat

After thoroughly enjoying this lovely cold summer soup at a catered outdoor fundraiser, I searched for the recipe and found that Mark Bittman came through once again. I see that others in the comments called this watered-down hummus. It is not. Add the beautiful Mediterranean vegetables and feta on top and you have an amazing cool summer dish.

amanda from cleve

Not flavorful despite a lot of adjustments even on second day. Threw out the leftovers

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…

Private comments are only visible to you.

Recipe Tags

or to save this recipe.