Rinse the chickpeas in plenty of running water and leave them in water overnight.

We recommend cooking the chickpeas in a pressure cooker but if you do not have one, you can use a heavy pot suitable for low-heat, long-time cooking.

Put the chickpeas in your pot or pressure cooker, add enough water to cover them and boil with the lid open for five minutes. Drain and discard the water. The purpose of this initial cooking is to reduce the stomach gas. In historical recipes, chickpeas are first cooked on their own and then their skins are removed one by one as described in the humus recipe.

Finely chop the onions, set aside.

Finely chop the tomatoes, set aside.

Heat the butter or olive oil in the pot, sautee the onions at medium heat until they are soft and shiny .

Add the lamb and continue sauteeing for about five more minutes.

Add the chickpeas, tomatoes and salt. Add sufficient water to cover the chickpeas.

If you are using a pressure cooker, cook for 35 minutes after the pressure cooker reaches the optimum pressure. Without a pressure cooker, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 2 hours.

Serve with the Classic Turkish Rice Pilaf and pickles.