Nohut yemeği is part of Turkish home cooking’s sulu yemek, or brothy main-dish, repertoire. Onion, tomato paste and pepper paste form the flavor base here. This practical meat-free version uses olive oil instead of a butter-and-oil mixture and starts with cooked chickpeas.
Nohut Yemeği — Recipe Card
Meat-free chickpea stew with tomato and sweet pepper paste
Makes 4 servings · Four main-dish portions.US cup = 240 ml · tablespoon = 15 ml · teaspoon = 5 ml. Cup and weight conversions are approximate. Australian cooks: use a 15 ml measuring tablespoon.
Ingredient quantities and servings are scaled. Cooking times, pan sizes, frying oil depth, and temperatures stay the same; cook larger batches as needed.
Ingredients
How to make Nohut Yemeği
Soften the onion
Warm the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook the onion for 6–8 minutes, stirring, until soft and translucent rather than browned.
Cook the pastes and simmer
Stir in the tomato and sweet pepper pastes for 1–2 minutes. Add the cooked chickpeas and hot water. Bring to a gentle boil, then partly cover and simmer on low for 20–25 minutes, stirring occasionally. The chickpeas should stay whole and the broth should be lightly thickened.
Season and rest
Stir in the salt and black pepper during the last 5 minutes of simmering. Remove from the heat and rest for 10 minutes. Serve hot in four bowls, dividing the chickpeas and broth evenly.
Bring this recipe to your kitchen with a printable copy.
Print recipeRecipe from MyTurkishRecipes · https://myturkishrecipes.com/turkish-chickpea-stew-nohut-yemegi. Quantities reflect your selected serving scale. Cooking times are estimates; follow the doneness cues.
A few helpful kitchen notes
Dietary notes
The stated base is vegan. Check canned chickpeas and both pastes for any dietary requirements. No gluten-free label is assigned without confirming those packaged products; do not add unverified stock.
Heat level
Mild when made with sweet pepper paste. For a hotter version, replace 5 g (0.18 oz) of the sweet paste with 5 g (0.18 oz) hot pepper paste. The base uses no hot chili.
Cooked chickpeas
Use canned chickpeas or chickpeas cooked separately until fully tender. Soaked raw chickpeas will not reliably soften in this short, tomato-based simmer.
How to store and reheat Nohut Yemeği
Refrigerate in shallow covered containers at 4°C (40°F) or below within 2 hours, or within 1 hour above 32°C (90°F). Use within 3 days, or freeze portions for up to 2 months for best quality. Thaw in the refrigerator. Reheat while stirring until at least 74°C (165°F) throughout.
Nohut Yemeği: questions and answers
Can I use only tomato paste?
Yes. Replace the 10 g (0.35 oz) pepper paste with another 10 g (0.35 oz) tomato paste. The flavor will be more tomato-forward; keep the other quantities and method.
How do I thicken the broth?
Mash a spoonful of cooked chickpeas against the side of the pan and stir them back in. Avoid crushing the whole batch; this is a brothy stew, not a purée.
