Halabessa

Halabessa is a popular street food in Egypt sold as a drink with a wedge of lemon. The simple dish with warm cumin and a little spice from the pepper accentuated by the lemon is welcome as a simple lunch of part of a hearty dinner.

Some recipes I saw called for chili. I went with Aleppo pepper. Gochugaru is the closest substitute for that but chili or red pepper flakes will also work.

1 c. garbanzo beans
4 c. water
1 onion, cut in half
4 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. Aleppo pepper
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. lemon juice

Cover the garbanzo beans with at least twice their volume in water. Place in the fridge and let soak over night, or at least 8 hours.

Drain the soaked beans. In a medium sized pot place the beans with 4 cups of water, both halves of the onion, and the garlic cloves. Simmer for 30 minutes. 

Add the salt, cumin seeds, Aleppo pepper, and tomato paste. Simmer an additional 20 minutes or until the beans are tender. Stir in the lemon juice and serve.