Omani-style chickpeas are a buttery, garlicky weeknight treat

Lately, in these waning days of winter, I’ve been daydreaming about my favorite comfort meals. Baked potato soup, macaroni and cheese, kashk-o bademjan, lasagna – food that makes you go mmm. New to my list is this bowl of warm, saucy, garlicky, buttery chickpeas. Known as dango in Oman, this version was adapted from the recipe in Rose Previte’s “Maydan: Recipes From Lebanon and Beyond.”

Previte is the founder and owner of several restaurants, including D.C.’s Maydan and Compass Rose. I’ve been to Maydan only once, but it was a memorable experience. Though the restaurant opened more than six years ago, getting a table is still a challenge. Absent a reservation, a friend and I arrived 45 minutes early and stood in line with a few dozen others. When the doors opened, we were lucky to get the last two seats at the bar. Among the dishes we ordered was one called dango, described simply as “chickpeas, urfa spice, lime.”

Perhaps 10 minutes later, it arrived: A ceramic dish shaped like a canoe cradled a pile of hot chickpeas, plump and swimming in a dark, almost reddish broth, slick and fragrant. I ripped off a piece of fire-singed flatbread, dipped it into the chickpea bath, and took a bite. A touch of warm spice hit my nose first. Then: peppery and sweet long-cooked garlic, a bright tingle of lime juice and, finally, the unmistakable richness of butter.

When I saw a preview of “Maydan” last year, I was delighted to see that the dango recipe was included. I made it immediately, and couldn’t wait to write about it. The other day, I reached Previte by phone to chat about it.

“I love that you were drawn to the dango recipe!” she said. “More people need to know about the food of Oman.” I asked how she learned to make the dish: “In 2018, I found ‘The Food of Oman’ by Felicia Campbell,” Previte said, “and as far as I could tell, it was the only English-language cookbook about Omani food. Everything we made from it was incredible. ‘Well,’ I told my team, ‘we have to go to Oman.’”

Campbell helped them plan an eating tour that involved several home kitchens. In one, deep in the desert, Previte and her chefs cooked with the grandmothers, mothers and aunts of a Bedouin family. When the feast was presented, lavish platters of meat and rice filled the table. But there was also a large bowl of dango, and though the chickpeas looked especially humble next to the other dishes, Previte was drawn to them. “They were so simple, but special because of the play of garlic and lime,” Previte said.

She can’t quite remember whether that host family included butter in their dango, or whether, when her crew returned to D.C., they experimented with that addition. Either way, it’s become an essential element in Maydan’s version.

To make dango, you saute garlic in butter until it softens, then add a bit of Aleppo pepper and paprika, letting the spice tint the fat maroon. Add chickpeas – Previte recommends you use dried and par-cooked chickpeas here, but canned work just as well – water, lime juice, salt and pepper, and simmer until the legumes pick up all of those flavors, plump up and turn into puddles of silk when smashed against the roof of your mouth. To serve, spoon the chickpeas and their broth into a bowl, and top with a generous drizzle of olive oil and a pinch or two of ground sumac.

“You could serve them over rice, or with the Omani shrimp dish in the book, or just something green,” Previte says. “But for a simple meal at home, I’d serve them in bowls with a pile of flatbread for dipping.”

That’s how I like eating them myself, with an extra squeeze of lime. If you’re eating with me, you might even hear me go mmm.

Dango (Omani-Style Chickpeas)

These Omani-style chickpeas are supremely tender and rich enough to serve as a whole meal – with some bread for dipping into the silky broth. Butter, garlic and lime juice are the key ingredients in this version, adapted from “Maydan” by Rose Previte. A pinch of Aleppo pepper and generous sprinkle of sumac before serving add extra sparkle. For best results, Previte recommends using chickpeas which you have cooked to al dente from dried. For a faster meal, you can use canned chickpeas that have been rinsed and drained.

Ingredients

Adapted from “Maydan: Recipes From Lebanon and Beyond” by Rose Previte (Abrams, 2023).

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

5 cloves garlic, minced or finely grated

¾ teaspoon Aleppo pepper

⅛ teaspoon sweet paprika

4 cups cooked chickpeas, drained (may substitute two 15-ounce cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained)

3 cups water, plus more as needed

⅓ cup fresh lime juice (from 4 to 6 limes), plus more as needed

1 teaspoon fine salt, plus more as needed

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons to ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, for serving

1 teaspoon ground sumac, plus more optional for serving

Warm flatbreads or crusty bread, for serving

Directions

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the garlic and saute until softened and fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the Aleppo pepper and paprika, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the chickpeas, water, lime juice, salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, partially uncovered, until the liquid is reduced by about half and the chickpeas are very tender, 30 minutes for canned chickpeas, 1 hour for home-cooked al dente chickpeas. If the pan starts to become dry before the beans get soft, add more water as needed.

Taste, and add more lime juice and/or salt if desired. Transfer to a serving dish, then drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with the sumac. Serve hot, family-style, with warm bread on the side.

Substitutions

To omit the garlic: Use an infused oil.

In place of Aleppo pepper: Use any ground chile of mild to moderate heat.

No sumac?: Top each bowl with a little more lime juice.

Variations

To make this vegan: Use vegan butter or olive oil in place of the butter.

Chickpeas are ideal for this dish, though you could also try it with another firm bean, such as butter or lima.

Yield: 6 cups, or four servings

Active time: 10 mins; Total time: 40 mins, plus optional additional simmering time

Nutrition per serving (1½ cups): 425 calories, 33g carbohydrates, 45mg cholesterol, 28g fat, 11g fiber, 12g protein, 12g saturated fat, 950mg sodium, 6g sugar

Storage: Refrigerate for up to 4 days.

Where to buy: Aleppo pepper and sumac can be found at well-stocked supermarkets, spice shops or online.