Chickpea (Kabul Channa) Soup

I never thought we could make soup from Chickpea or what we generally know as Kabul Channa. I was making a salad using Chickpea. I had left over water from cooking channa that we generally make Saaru (Rasam/ Channa Kattu Saaru/ kat saaru). I was inquisitive if we could make soup out of the kat / kattu (lentil cooked water). I googled and found this interesting recipe. I didnt have all the ingredients. The recipe below is a slight variation from the recipe  I found at  https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1499/moroccan-chickpea-soup. Its apparently a Moroccan dish. It was an instant hit in our house. Check it out and let me know.

You will need:
Chickpea/Kabul Channa - 1/2 cups (soaked for 3-6 hours and then pressure cooked for 3-4 whistles. Retain water)
Onion - 1/2 finely chopped
Tomatoes - 1/2 finely chopped
Garlic - 2 cloves finely chopped
Pepper - 6 to 10 corns
Cumin powder - 1 tsp (jeera/Jeerige)
Mixed Herbs - 1 tsp
Basil - 1 tsp
Lemon zest
Lemon - Juice from 1/4 lemon
Corainder Leaves - 2 tbsp (finely chopped)
Olive Oil - 1tsp (or butter)
Salt to taste

You will have to:
Heat a teaspoon of oil in a pan. 
Add garlic and saute till golden brown.
Add chopped onion and saute till golden brown
Add tomatoes and let the tomatoes cook. 
Add cumin powder and saute. 
Add chickpea with water and let it boil for 4-5 minutes. 
Add mixed herbs, Basil, pepper powder. 
Smash the soup using a pav bhaji vegetable smasher. 
Add salt. Add water to bring soup to your preferred consistency. Let the mixture boil in simmer for about 5-10 mins. 
Garnish with coriander leaves. lemon juice and lemon zest. 


Skill Level: Intermediate 
Makes: 2 cups of soup
Preparation Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins (Plus channa cooking time)
Goes well with: Garlic Bread, flat bread or just like that

Tips: 
(i) I just made it today, cant think of a variation yet.. :P