Turkish Lamb Stew with Chickpeas (Nohut)
Turkish Lamb Stew with Chickpeas (a.k.a Nohut Yahni or Chickpea Soup) is a traditional Turkish dish made with diced lamb, chickpeas, and pearl onions.
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 644kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 250 g dried chickpeas (soaked overnight)
- 800 g diced lamb (replace with diced beef if you prefer)
- 1-2 tablespoon olive oil
- 8-10 pearl onions or small shallots (peeled and left whole)
- 3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon red pepper paste (replace with 1 tablespoon tomato paste if you don't have it)
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 l chicken, lamb or beef stock
- 1 chopped red chili (optional) (or ¼ teaspoon chilli flakes)
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Soak the chickpeas overnight with plenty of water.
- Drain the chickpeas and place them in a pan with plenty of water over medium heat and bring to a boil.
- Lower the heat and cook for another 30-40 minutes or until slightly softened. Drain the chickpeas and set them aside. If you're using a pressure cooker, depending on the setting, the cooking time should be around 20-25 minutes on very low heat.
- Preheat the fan oven to 180° C - 360° F (if cooking in a dutch oven).
- Heat your dutch oven or heavy-based pan on medium-high heat, then add olive and sear the lamb. Do it in batches for all meat to cook golden brown equally.
- Turn the heat down to medium, add the onions and sauté until slightly browned then add the garlic.
- Sauté for another minute then stir in the tomato and pepper paste.
- Add the flour and give the mixture a quick stir.
- Deglaze the pan with a little splash of stock, and then add the chickpeas.
- Add the rest of the stock along with chilies, freshly ground black pepper, and salt, then bring it to a boil.
- If cooking in the oven using a dutch oven, put the lid on and place it in the oven. Cook for 2 hours or until the meat and chickpeas are tender. Check the liquid and add more stock if needed. Stir the stew every half an hour to avoid sticking.
- If cooking on stove-top in a heavy-based pan, lower the heat and gently simmer for 2 hours or until the meat and chickpeas are tender. Check the liquid and add more stock if needed. Stir the stew every half an hour to avoid sticking.
Notes
- If you're looking for a new way to eat chickpeas, this lamb stew is a great idea.
- You can make this delicious chickpea stew/soup on a stovetop using a heavy-based pan. The cooking time might vary, and also you might need to stir it more often to avoid it sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- The secret behind most of the delicious soups, sauces, and stews is definitely a good-quality homemade beef stock.
- If you prefer beef instead of lamb, the best meat cut would be marbled meat with some amount of fat and connective tissues on it such as brisket, chuck, or shin.
Nutrition
Calories: 644kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 59g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 135mg | Sodium: 1016mg | Potassium: 1535mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 120IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 115mg | Iron: 9mg