Fry
by: Dania
April8,2014
4.6
7 Ratings
- Serves 6
Jump to Recipe
Author Notes
Fattet hummus is a creamy, pine-nutty concoction often eaten in Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria for a satisfying weekend brunch. This breakfast dish is delicious and festive, yet very straightforward to make. This is a great option for vegetarians, as it packs a healthy dose of protein and makes a very filling main meal.
The great thing about it, too, is that you cannot really get the quantities wrong. There are many variations of this dish, and traditionally each cook will settle on their own method. The final texture, its creaminess versus crunchiness, the level of acidity and the final presentation of Fattet Hummus are all up to you! You can adjust the amount of lemon juice, tahini and garlic to suit your taste.
Serve your Fattet Hummus with crisp chilled radishes, tart quartered fresh onions (soaked overnight in cold water to sweeten them) and a rustic white farmer's cheese on the side. Traditionally, sweet black tea infused with lots of fresh mint accompanies this dish, served steaming hot in small glasses. —Dania
Test Kitchen Notes
Dania's Fattet Hummus is a warm, comforting breakfast on a cold, rainy spring day—plus, it's quick and easy enough for a weekday morning. Dania assures us that we can't mess it up, so I added a bit more tahini and a lot of mint. I toasted the pita in the oven while I warmed the yogurt, and it all came together into a satisfyingly creamy, nutty, minty bowl of goodness. This is one to repeat again and again—keep the ingredients on hand! —aargersi
- Test Kitchen-Approved
What You'll Need
Ingredients
- 2 cupschickpeas, dry
- 3 cupsnatural yogurt
- 2 tablespoonstahini
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1 to 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 pinchcumin
- 1 pinchwhite pepper (optional)
- 1 pinchsalt
- 4 to 5 small pita loaves
- 1/2 cupolive oil
- 2 tablespoonspine nuts, more to taste
- 1 pinchpaprika or cayenne pepper (optional for garnish)
- 3 to 4 mint leaves (optional for garnish)
Directions
- Soak the chickpeas overnight. Rinse well several times under cold running water, then place them in a large pot.
- Cover the chickpeas with with about twice their own volume of fresh cold water, bring to a boil, then lower the heat. Simmer them for one hour until tender. Add the cumin and a small dash of olive oil. Keep the pot covered to make sure the liquid remains simmering-hot and ready for use later. (Contrarily, you could use canned chickpeas, and skip to the next step. Make sure to have some hot water ready.)
- Put the yogurt in a large glass mixing bowl. Add the tahini, lemon juice, and crushed garlic. Whisk well. Bring two inches of water to a rolling boil in a pot and place the glass bowl on top. Heat the yogurt mix gently, whisking the whole time. Make sure it does not come to a boil; the idea is to just warm it up and blend the flavors together. If the yogurt mixture thickens too much, add a little of the chickpea broth until you get a soupy consistency. Add salt and white pepper to taste.
- Separate the pita loaves into two thin layers, then cut them into bite-sized pieces with kitchen scissors. Heat half the olive oil in a frying pan and shallow-fry the pita until crunchy and golden. Alternatively, brush the separated pita rounds with olive oil, toast them well in a hot oven, then break them into bite-sized pieces by hand. You could even simply use day-old bread, if you're in a hurry.
- Spread the bread in an even layer in a deep serving platter or bowl. Ladle out about a cup or so of the reserved hot chickpea broth, and drizzle it on top of the bread pieces until they are just soaked.
- Set aside 1 to 2 tablespoons of the chickpeas for garnish. With a ladle, scoop the remaining hot chickpeas out of the broth and spread them evenly on top of the bread. Pour the warmed yogurt mixture over the chickpeas. Gently stir the layers together with a large slotted spoon. Top with the reserved chickpeas.
- Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil and fry the pine nuts until golden, then pour them, along with the hot oil, over the chickpea-yogurt mixture. Sprinkle paprika, cayenne pepper, and the torn mint leaves on top for garnish, and enjoy immediately!
Tags:
- Hummus
- Pudding
- Middle Eastern
- Cumin
- Mint
- Paprika
- Pine Nut
- Chickpea
- Bean
- Serves a Crowd
- Fry
- Fall
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34 Reviews
Writer6 February 29, 2020
I tried this and it was delicious! I have tried this with a flat bread before but I prefer the pita. Also, sadly I have to say I find it rather tragic that people decided to attack the contributor’s word choice versus the recipe. This is a food board the last time I checked, not a political forum. You cannot spew a political view, whatever it may be, and not expect a response. It simply doesn’t work that way. If you don’t like a particular place that has been mentioned, you have no right to censor, last time I perused our constitution. Simply, leave the recipe and go somewhere else. Perhaps a political forum and blow off your steam but it is unwelcome here. This is a place for all people to share their recipes and we all are entitled to express ourselves, without condemning attacks.
msmely April 7, 2018
So amazingly good. The toasty pita adds a lovely dimension to it but it's still delicious with day old untoasted pita. I made my beans in the instant pot with chicken broth, for more savory flavor. It would be so easy to modify the spices you use with the yogurt. If you like a really soft chickpea then soak them and/or cook them with baking soda. The method is easily adaptable if you have components stored in the fridge. I leveraged my microwave to reheat chickpeas and broth. I weighed my yogurt in the glass bowl for the double boiler to keep dishes down and weighed a few other ingredients to ensure I didn't overdo it on the more expensive or caloric (pine nuts and tahini I love u xoxo) ingredients. It's fairly sturdy so I'm going to see how well it keeps, since I bet it'd be good cold (or warmed gently with short zaps and stirring in the microwave.)
JaneUK June 5, 2017
Wonderful recipe. Pomegranate a very good addition. Thanks (pity about the insensitive and disrespectful comments re palestine.
Nancy June 9, 2015
Dania - please say what volume baking pan this dish needs...I'm guessing but not sure, about 2-3 quarts?
dryden June 16, 2014
I really liked this but I think I should have added more water to make it creamier. I used 1 can of beans and three pita loaves, the size you would usually use to make sandwiches with. I think I might have liked to mash some of the garbonzo beans up but I couldn't bear to get another pan or appliance dirty. It was kind of a mess. Cookie sheets, double boiler, the pan to warm the beans, the juicer, the garlic press. Still good though.
dennisbrennan June 4, 2014
Any ideas what to sub for the pine nuts. Pine nuts are over $30.00 per pound these days!
Dania June 4, 2014
Hello Dennis,
I guess pine nuts are very local to certain regions of the world, so in the Middle East they are as cheap as chips. But when imported elsewhere, you are right, they can be quite costly. I would try any white nut (maybe blanched hazelnuts or almonds, roasted and roughly crushed). Or just leave out the nuts and enjoy the creaminess of the dish - there are certainly enough flavours in there! I hope you love it.
Magdy T. July 1, 2015
walnuts / almond slice
Janne B. June 4, 2014
I don't mean to butt in but would those who are reading politics into the enjoyment of food take their differences elsewhere please?
Ann P. June 4, 2014
I have been accused by OliveOil424 of making a rude comment. What was rude about it? Unhelpful? I think not. I want to know if it is served in Texas because it seemed to me it was more of a middle eastern dish.
Carolina R. December 21, 2020
I'm glad Texas decided to name a city after Palestine. ;)
ashley M. June 4, 2014
I believe this dish is also known as fetteh. So yummy.
Janne B. June 2, 2014
What about using a fried dosa (lentil and brown rice pancake)? Or fried papadums?
Janne B. June 2, 2014
What could you use in lieu of pita bread, if you are wheat-free?
Dania June 2, 2014
Hello Janne,
If you use a nice gluten-free white bread loaf, you can try that. Tear it into soft bite-sized pieces. Another different but delicious option is to toast sliced cornbread under the broiler, break it into small chunks by hand, and use it instead of the pita.
BakersFancy June 4, 2014
Janne, what about socca or other non-wheat breads? You might find something interesting and satisfactory. It'll be different than the original of course but it'll be your original!
Janne B. June 4, 2014
I used lentil/rice flat bread and it was fine. I just don't want to do the GF junk-food trip, you know? White flour IS white flour :-) And I LOVE the idea of socca ( to die for....)
DeesJournal June 1, 2014
perfect vegetarian meal. We add fried slices of eggplants to the layered dish for an even yummier meal and finish it off with brown butter drizzle. Yum!
marymary May 12, 2014
I am soooo making this soon.
marysays May 4, 2014
Hoping to make this tomorrow! Just checking-- should it be Greek (strained) yogurt, or is "regular" yogurt ok? Unsweetened, of course. I'm used to using strained yogurt for dishes like this but I wasn't sure in this case.
hana May 4, 2014
since u need the yoghurt to be thinned eventually, u can start with regular yoghurt. I usually thin using the broth in which I cooked the chickpeas.
marysays May 4, 2014
Thanks for your fast response! So the thinning out ratios are based on regular yogurt.
marysays May 4, 2014
Nevermind, there are no ratios specified. Posted too soon! Thanks again for the comment.
Maggie K. April 29, 2014
What would be a good vegan alternative for the yogurt?
hkrf1017 May 4, 2014
Maggie - I used unsweetened coconut milk yogurt ion it this morning. It was still very good. I'm vegan so I can't say what I'm missing by not using dairy Greek yogurt but it turned out well.
Nada (. March 22, 2015
Hi Maggie and hkrf1017 - I just blogged a vegan recipe for Fattet Hummus using soy yoghurt, in case you're interested! http://www.onearabvegan.com/2015/03/vegan-fattet-hummus/
culture_connoisseur April 29, 2014
I've always LOVED this dish when invited to my Arabic friend's homes, but I've never been successful at making it myself. Time to give it another try.
Sam C. April 29, 2014
I grew up on this stuff! One difference - omit mint leaves, and drizzle 2 Tbs hot browned butter on top before garnishing with paprika. And best of all... if you have a fresh pomegranate, skip the paprika and garnish with and handful of pomegranate seeds.
culture_connoisseur April 29, 2014
Fresh pomegranate! Perfect addition!
maye April 29, 2014
haha, i love this. reminds me of my mom :) she would always add a border of cooked spiced ground lamb. mmmmm.
ATG117 April 24, 2014
What's the texture of the pita like in this?
aargersi April 24, 2014
It's crunchy when it goes in and you can regulate it with the amount of liquid that you add - I left some crunchy bits poking out and then had some soft bits mixed in.
hana April 16, 2014
Arabic Weekend Brunch Staple. So tasty and addictive.
One time saving tip: use the hot hummus (chickpea) water to thin and heat the yoghurt. I also like my bread crunchy so i do not laddle the water right over it, though bread will eventually soak the thin yoghurt.
