Fatteh is perfect when you want something hearty and filling but prefer to skip meat. The flavour combines fresh garlic softened by creamy yogurt. The satiety comes from chickpeas and oven-crisped Arabic bread.
What makes this lighter than traditional, butter-heavy Fatteh is the prep: bread is baked, not fried; nuts are gently toasted; the olive oil stays fresh and peppery, adding depth and lift.
Soak dried chickpeas overnight. Rinse and simmer ~60 min. Add 1 tbsp baking soda at the start (softens quicker). Skim foam to prevent boilover. Shortcut: warm canned chickpeas. About 250 g dried chickpeas make 3 servings.
Brush Arabic bread with a little neutral oil and bake at 180 °C / 355 °F for 6–8 min until golden and crisp.
Mash 1–2 garlic cloves with 1 tbsp salt into a smooth paste.
Add 5 tbsp hot chickpeas and 1 tbsp cooking liquid to the paste and fold gently.
Break some of the toasted bread, mix with chickpeas, then add more chickpeas, more bread and finally a generous layer of yogurt (~6 tbsp total).
Top with toasted pine nuts (8 g) and cashews (15 g). Finish with ~3 tbsp early-harvest extra virgin olive oil and a drizzle of pomegranate molasses.
