Fatteh

Layers of toasted pita bread soaked in hot chickpea broth, buried under garlicky tahini-yogurt sauce, crowned with chickpeas, pine nuts, and paprika — a Ramadan iftar centerpiece and a breakfast dish of extraordinary comfort.

Ingredients

• 400 g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
• 3 rounds, torn into rough pieces day-old Lebanese flatbread or pita
• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 400 g plain whole-milk yogurt
• 4 tbsp raw tahini
• 3 cloves garlic cloves
• 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 40 g pine nuts
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp (for topping) sweet paprika
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1½ tsp salt

Method

1. Cook soaked chickpeas in plenty of water with ½ tsp salt for 45–60 minutes until tender but not mushy. Reserve the cooking liquid (chickpea broth). If using canned: heat them in their liquid, then drain.
2. Toast bread: Tear pita into 4–5cm pieces. Fry in 2 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat until golden and crisp, or brush with oil and bake at 200°C for 8 minutes.
3. Make the sauce: Crush garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt. Whisk together yogurt, tahini, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic paste, and ½ tsp cumin until smooth. Taste and adjust — it should be tangy, garlicky, and rich.
4. Toast pine nuts in 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat until golden. Remove and set aside.
5. Assemble just before serving (speed matters — bread must not sit in liquid too long): Lay toasted bread pieces in a deep serving dish in an even layer.
6. Ladle 2 cups of hot chickpea broth over the bread. Let it absorb for 2 minutes — bread should be softened but not disintegrating.
7. Scatter half the chickpeas over the soaked bread.
8. Pour the yogurt-tahini sauce generously over everything, covering the surface completely.
9. Top with remaining chickpeas, pine nuts, and a final drizzle of olive oil.
10. Dust with paprika and cumin, scatter parsley, and serve immediately.

The story