Spicy Chickpea and Bulgur Soup
I was asked to bring a soup for a group of friends getting together for a casual, coastal overnight in beautiful west Marin. There were a number of recipes that were contenders, but a spicy chickpea soup from Yotam Ottolenghi's upcoming cookbook, Plenty More, caught my attention. It features a seductive, red harissa broth fragrant with cumin, coriander, and caraway, and enough chickpeas and bulgur to make it work as a main course. An herb-whipped feta is the crowning dollop.
Estimated Nutrition (whole recipe, rough)
Counts 12 of 19 ingredients — the other 7 aren't in our nutrition table and contribute nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume — 12 portions →
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Chickpea | 1/2 cup canned (120g) drained | 134 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Feta Cheese | 1 oz (28g) cheddar | 113 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Carrot | 1 medium (61g) | 25 |
| Cumin | 1 tsp ground (2.1g) | 8 |
| Celery Stalks | 1 stalk (40g) | 6 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Celery | 1 stalk (40g) | 6 |
| Garlic | 1 clove (3g) | 4 |
| Cilantro | 1 tbsp chopped fresh (1g) | 1 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Harissa | not in our table | 0 |
| Coriander | not in our table | 0 |
| Caraway Seed | not in our table | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
| Bulgur | not in our table | 0 |
| Wheat | not in our table | 0 |
| Peppermint | not in our table | 0 |
Totals for the whole recipe, adding one typical portion per ingredient — listed above. Quantities in the recipe are not counted, so this is a rough guide only — not suitable for medical or dietary planning.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 small onions, cut into 3/8-inch / 1-cm dice
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 3/8-inch / 1-cm dice
- 4 celery stalks, cut into 3/8-inch / 1-cm dice
- 2 tablespoons harissa paste
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground coriander
- 1 1/2 teaspoon whole caraway seeds
- 2 1/2 cups / 500 g drained cooked chickpeas (canned are fine)
- 4-5 cups / 1 liter+ water
- 3/4 cup / 100 g coarse bulgur wheat
- 3 teaspoons fine grain salt, or to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- Creamed feta paste
- 3 1/2 oz / 100 g feta, broken into large chunks
- 1/4 cup / 60 g crème fraîche
- 1 cup / 15 g cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup / 15 g mint leaves
- 1/8 teaspoon fine grain salt
- to serve: mint, cilantro, and/or celery leaves