Zubereitung

1. 1

   The day before, pick over and wash the chickpeas and cover them in a large bowl with at least three times their volume of cold water; leave to soak overnight, during which they will more than double in size.

2. 2

   Pour away the soaking water and rinse the chickpeas. Put them in a large pot with 1.8 l fresh water; peel and halve the onion and add it with the peeled whole garlic cloves and the turmeric.

3. 3

   Bring everything to the boil and skim off the grey foam that rises with a spoon until the broth stays clear. Simmer partly covered over a low heat until the chickpeas can be crushed effortlessly between two fingers; add salt only at the end.

4. 4

   Remove the onion halves. Purée about a third of the chickpeas with the soft garlic cloves and a ladle of broth in a tall container with a hand blender until smooth and stir back into the pot.

5. 5

   Stir in the cumin, salt, pepper and the juice of one lemon and continue simmering the soup gently, uncovered, until creamy; if it is too thick, add a little hot water.

6. 6

   Meanwhile, tear the flatbread into bite-sized pieces and toast them in a dry frying pan over a medium heat, turning, until golden brown and crisp.

7. 7

   Heat the butter or margarine in a small pan until it foams, sprinkle in the Pul Biber, swirl briefly until it turns red and immediately pull the pan off the heat.

8. 8

   Ladle the soup into deep bowls, drizzle the red butter or margarine over the top and serve with the toasted bread pieces and lemon wedges.

9. 9

   Tip: Instead of 250 g dried chickpeas you can use 480 g drained canned chickpeas (2 cans) with only 1 l water; 20 minutes of cooking is then enough. The soup becomes vegan with olive oil or vegetable oil instead of butter or margarine. Covered, the soup keeps for 3 days in the fridge and can be frozen; thin it with a little water when reheating.