Spicy chickpea and bulgar soup from Plenty More (page 98) by Yotam Ottolenghi

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Notes about this recipe

  • Eat Your Books

    This recipe is on p.86 in the US edition. See recipe for variations.

  • anya_sf on December 30, 2023

    Very tasty soup, especially considering how quick and easy it is to make. 1 Tbsp medium harissa was spicy enough for us. I used 6 cups chicken broth and added some green beans. Unfortunately, I didn't have feta, but we topped our servings with chopped parsley, dill, and plain yogurt.

  • Ganga108 on February 28, 2022

    This soup has done the rounds in various publications and Ottolenghi modifies it slightly each time. In the book, he pairs it with a feta-creme fraiche paste, and elsewhere he replaces it with coriander oil, elsewhere with salbitxada – a sharp and lightly sweet Catalan sauce. You could choose a topping to suits your mood or the weather. One option is to make a huge pot of soup, and serve with feta-creme fraiche paste one day and with salbitxada the next. The soup does need a little something stirred into it at the end, to liven it. Use lemon juice if you don’t have the time to make the paste or the sauce. This recipe is a mid-week Soup, substantial enough to be eaten with heaps of flatbread and a green salad. It is hearty and comforting. The flavour improves even more if you allow it to stand for a few hours. Ottolenghi says it feeds four, but I say it will feed 6 or 8, depending on the hunger levels.

  • Apollonia on January 01, 2022

    Really enjoyed this. It benefitted from the herbs in the feta option a great deal, but the base itself was tasty and light, too.

  • christineakiyoshi on December 11, 2020

    Tasty soup that doesn't taste too spicy while eating, but the heat settles in a bit later. I used quinoa instead of bulgar and it turned out nicely. Garnished with cilantro leaves, since we are vegan. Will make again.

  • clkandel on May 17, 2020

    Very good. Served this with quinoa, since I was out of bulgar. Cooked the grain on the side, put it in the bowl, and topped with the soup.

  • ricki on August 29, 2019

    Quick to put together, and quite nice for a lunch. Almost a stew; less bulgar would suit me. I prefer it without dairy, but with chopped cilantro and mint to garnish and perhaps a squirt of lemon juice (I'll try preserved lemon someday). I used 2 tbsp of mild harissa and then added a tablespoon of a more spicy harissa.

  • Melanie on August 05, 2017

    Enjoyed the flavour of this - simple but not basic, and keeps well. Didn't make the feta accompaniment.

  • dinnermints on March 24, 2016

    With some changes, this soup (more like a stew) was very good. Given the previous reviewer's notes, I used 6 cups of broth (and 3 cups of chickpeas instead of 2.5), and used 1/3 cup minced preserved lemon (peel and flesh) instead of the teaspoon of salt. I used some very flavorful bean pot liquor for the broth, which I'm sure helped, and also added more harissa directly to my bowl of soup to taste. I made the creamed feta paste too, and substituting low fat Greek yogurt for the creme fraiche worked out just dandy. With all of these changes, both my husband and I loved it.

  • Laura on March 13, 2015

    Pg. 86. I found this to be quite disappointing. The amount of bulgar called for was way too much as it absorbed most of the broth and the dish became more a 'chickpea and bulgar side dish' than a soup. It was quite spicy on its own from the harissa, but once I added the creamed feta paste the spice level fell to almost nothing. The feta paste was very tasty on its own and made a good spread on toast. I won't be making the soup again, but I would make the paste.

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