Hummus Fatteh (Hummus With Crisp Pita, Fried Meat, and Pine Nuts)

Transform humble ingredients like chickpeas and pita into a satisfying meal by combining them with tahini, toasted pine nuts, and tender pieces of fried meat.

By
Reem Kassis
Reem Kassis: Contributing Writer at Serious Eats
Reem Kassis
Reem Kassis is a Palestinian writer whose work focuses on the intersection of food with culture, history, and politics. She has written two cookbooks: The Palestinian Table (2017) and The Arabesque Table (2021).
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Published April 30, 2024
Overhead view of hummus fatteh

Serious Eats / Mai Kakish

Why It Works

  • Boiling the chickpeas from scratch allows you to use the flavorful broth in the final dish.
  • Using a tender, flavorful cut of meat like beef or lamb loin allows you to cook it quickly—in the time it takes you to assemble the dish—with no need to braise it.
  • Toasting the bread helps it retain more of its crispiness.

Fatteh is a versatile cooking technique across the Levant—Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine—and other parts of the Arab world like Egypt. Originating from the Arabic verb “fatt,” which means “to break bread and steep in liquid,” fatteh can be as simple as tossing day-old bread in lentil soup or into a salad like fattoush, which is also derived from the same word. It could also be a more elaborate preparation in which cooks soak stale bread in soup, stew, or yogurt-based dishes, then layer it with various toppings, such as chickpeas, eggplant, rice, and meat. These dishes are usually finished with a yogurt-, tahini-, tomato-, or lemon-based sauce and garnished with nuts, herbs, and spices for extra crunch and flavor.

Fatteh likely stems from both economic necessity and the availability of ingredients. Historically, grains like rice weren’t as readily accessible as wheat, making bread the primary carbohydrate for Levantine Arabs. Its widespread availability and affordability also made it an effective way of extending meals to feed more people, especially when meat was scarce and expensive, or when other foods like legumes, grains, and fresh vegetables were limited.

Even though bread remains a staple today and continues to be a way of stretching a meal for people living with food insecurity—like Palestinians under siege in Gaza today—fatteh has transcended its origins as a dish of scarcity. Instead, it is now often seen as a celebratory meal, with bread specifically prepared for the dish, ranging from toasted paper-thin slices to crispy fried pita. There are many variations that incorporate whole dishes like kafta (ground meat patties) or msakhan (Palestinian flatbreads) into the fatteh format, alongside a plethora of sauces and garnishes. 

Hummus fatteh (also sometimes called fattet hummus) stands out as one of the oldest and most traditional forms of fatteh, with its preparation varying significantly across the Levant. Though its essence lies in its combination of toasted bread with a chickpea and tahini mixture, garnished with meat and pine nuts—or just pine nuts for a vegetarian option—each family has their own unique recipe. The fine details are dictated by personal preference; some incorporate actual hummus b’tahini, while others may opt for yogurt in place of tahini or use a creamy dressing made from whisking the chickpea cooking liquid and olive oil together. 

The ingredients list for this dish, or any fatteh dish, might seem long at first. But a closer look reveals they’re affordable pantry staples many people keep on hand, and the dishes themselves very simple to put together: simmering chickpeas, toasting pita, whisking together creamy yogurt with tahini, whipping up a zesty lemon dressing, and finally, browning the meat. Though you don’t have to, I recommend preparing the beans from scratch, which will allow you to use the flavorful chickpea-cooking water in the dish itself. But it’s also perfectly acceptable to reheat jarred or canned chickpeas in water until boiling and use that liquid to complete the dish, too. 

This recipe is how my mother makes her hummus fatteh. After years of trying different versions of the dish at restaurants or other people’s homes, hers is still my favorite way to eat and make it. It’s the quintessential Palestinian brunch meal, and you transform humble ingredients like chickpeas and pita into something truly magical when you combine them with creamy tahini, tender, bite-sized pieces of fried meat, and toasted pine nuts. 

As much as I love to mop up hummus with bread, I use a spoon to eat this particular dish, where the toasted pita is at the very bottom to soak up all the sauces and juices. For a delicious vegetarian version, simply skip the meat and add some extra nuts—either more pine nuts or any combination of almonds, cashews, or pine nuts. With toasted pita, creamy chickpeas, and smooth tahini, you can always count on hummus fatteh for a contrast of soft and crunchy, warm and cool, and a satisfying savoriness that begs you to help yourself to more.

Recipe Details

Hummus Fatteh (Hummus With Crisp Pita, Fried Meat, and Pine Nuts) Recipe

Prep 30 mins
Cook 90 mins
Soaking Time 8 hrs
Total 10 hrs
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

For the Fatteh:

  • 1 1/4 cups dried chickpeas (8 ounces; 226g), see notes

  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin

  • 9 ounces thin pita (about 3 thin 8-inch pitas), cut into 3/4-inch squares (250g; about 4 1/2 cups)

  • 1 cup tahini (about 8 1/2 ounces; 240g)

  • 1 large clove garlic (10g), finely minced

  • 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume

  • 1 cup full-fat Greek-style or plain yogurt (about 8 1/2 ounces; 241g)

  • 1/4 cup (60ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice from 2 lemons

For the Lemon Dressing:

  • 1 large clove garlic (10g), finely minced

  • 1 medium green chile such as jalapeño or Anaheim (1 3/4 ounce; 50g), seeded, stemmed, and finely diced

  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice from 1 lemon

  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

  • Kosher salt

For the Meat:

  • 3 tablespoons (45ml) extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1 tablespoon (15ml) unsalted butter or ghee

  • 1/3 cup pine nuts (1 1/2 ounces; 42g)

  • 1 pound (454g) lamb loin, beef tenderloin, or other tender and flavorful quick-cooking steak, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

  • 1 teaspoon Lebanese 7 spice or baharat (see notes)

  • Kosher salt

For Serving:

  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

  • Red pepper flakes or pomegranate seeds (optional)

Directions

  1. For the Fatteh: In a large bowl, cover chickpeas with 6 cups (1.4L) cold water. Let stand at room temperature for at least 8 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse chickpeas thoroughly.

    Overhead view of rinsed chickpeas

    Serious Eats / Qi Ai

  2. In a 6- to 8-quart Dutch oven or saucepan, combine chickpeas and cumin. Add enough water to cover by 2 inches (about 8 cups; about 1.9L) and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer, cover with lid slightly ajar, and cook until chickpeas are completely tender but not falling apart, 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes. Check on chickpeas, stirring occasionally, and top off with more water if needed; chickpeas should be fully submerged at all times. (See notes if using canned chickpeas.)

    Overhead view of chickpeas cooking

    Serious Eats / Mai Kakish

  3. Meanwhile: Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat to 350ºF (175ºC). Place sliced pita on a rimmed baking sheet and transfer to oven. Toast, using a spoon or spatula to turn pita occasionally, until squares are completely dry and crisp and starting to darken in color, about 15 minutes. Remove and set aside until ready to use.

    Overhead view of cooked pita chips

    Serious Eats / Mai Kakish

  4. In a medium bowl, stir tahini, garlic, salt, yogurt, and lemon juice together until smooth; the sauce should be thick and sticky. When chickpeas are done, add 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of chickpea cooking liquid to bowl with tahini mixture and whisk well to incorporate. The sauce should have a consistency similar to maple syrup: thick but easily pourable. Set aside until ready to assemble.

    Two image collage of mixing tahini dressing

    Serious Eats / Qi Ai

  5. For the Lemon Dressing: In a small bowl, combine garlic, green chile, lemon juice, and extra-virgin olive oil. Whisk well to combine and season to taste with salt. Set aside.

    Overhead view of dressing

    Serious Eats / Mai Kakish

  6. For the Meat: n a 10-inch skillet, heat olive oil and butter over medium heat until butter has melted. Add pine nuts and toast until light golden brown and fragrant, about 1 1/2 minutes. Using a fine-mesh sieve, immediately strain nuts over a small bowl and transfer to a paper-towel lined plate. Set aside. Return fat to pan. Increase heat to medium-high and add lamb or beef and season with spices and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until meat is nicely browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes. Season to taste with salt.

    Two image collage of pine nuts and meat cooking

    Serious Eats / Mai Kakish

  7. To Assemble: Arrange toasted pita on a large, deep serving platter and spoon half of the lemon dressing on top of the pita. Using a ladle, scoop chickpeas, along with about 1/2 cup of their cooking liquid, over the bread, reserving 2 tablespoons of chickpeas to garnish with. (You want the bread to soak up the liquid but not become a mushy mess.)

    Overhead view of layering dressing and chickpeas

    Serious Eats / Qi Ai

  8. Pour the tahini and yogurt mixture evenly over the chickpeas. Top with the fried meat and pine nuts. Garnish with the reserved chickpeas, chopped parsley, and pomegranate seeds, if using. Drizzle the remaining lemon dressing over and top with more olive oil if desired. Serve warm.

    Overhead view of finished hummus fatteh

    Serious Eats / Mai Kakish

Special Equipment

Rimmed baking sheet, 6- to 8-quart Dutch oven or stockpot, whisk, 10-inch skillet

Notes

Two 14-ounce cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed well, can be substituted for dried chickpeas. In a medium (4 - 6 qt) pot, cover chickpeas generously with water and add cumin. Bring to a simmer over medium heat until beans are heated through. Maintain a low simmer until you finish prepping the rest of the dish. 

Lebanese 7 Spice or baharat can be purchased at Arabic grocery stores or online. 1 teaspoon Lebanese 7 Spice or baharat can be substituted with 1/4 teaspoon each of ground allspice, ground cumin, ground black pepper, and ground cinnamon. 

Pine nuts are the traditional choice of nut to use, but any combination of pine nuts, cashews, or almonds will work.

If you are staying in the spirit of keeping this a frugal dish or simply want to avoid chopping meat, you can use ground beef in place of the lamb loin and beef tenderloin called for here.

Make-Ahead and Storage

The toasted pita chips can be made up to a week in advance and stored in an airtight container

The chickpeas can be cooked the day before, refrigerated in their liquid, then reheated in reserved broth when ready to assemble. Reserve chickpea cooking liquid if you plan on preparing the chickpeas and sauce ahead of time.

If making tahini and yogurt sauce ahead of time, loosen with chickpea cooking liquid that has been reheated to a simmer, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you reach your desired consistency, before assembling the dish.

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