Iraqi chickpea soup

Ingredients

• 1 c. dried chickpeas (or ~two cans) washed and soaked overnight in 9 cups of water
• 2 Tbsp. Oil or butter
• 2 medium sized onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 c. (approx. 1 bunch) chopped fresh coriander leaves (cilantro)
• 2 tsp. Salt
• 1 tsp. Pepper
• 1tsp. Cumin
• 1/2 tsp. Mustard powder
• 1/4 tsp. Cayenne

Directions

Bring the chickpeas with their water to a boil and then cook over medium heat for 1 1/2 hours. While these are cooking, stir-fry the onions in the oil or butter until they begin to brown. Add garlic and cilantro, then stir-fry for a further few moments. Add this mixture along with the remaining ingredients to the chickpeas. Cover and cook over medium heat for one hour or until the chickpeas are well done.

I usually blend this soup with a hand-held blender (a food processor or blender would work as well) as we like the texture better this way. If using cans of beans the cooking time, especially at the end is reduced.