Traditional Stovetop Greek Revithia
A comforting, creamy Greek chickpea soup thickened with lemon and flour. The ultimate traditional winter warmer.
Revithia (Greek Chickpea Soup) is the ultimate comforting, rustic winter warmer. While many traditional recipes slow-bake the chickpeas in a clay pot, this accessible stovetop method delivers incredibly tender chickpeas suspended in a remarkably thick, creamy, and zesty lemon broth in a fraction of the time.
Why This Recipe Works
The magic of this soup lies in the traditional Greek thickening method. Rather than relying on heavy creams or potatoes, we whisk a small amount of plain flour into fresh lemon juice and chilled water. When this slurry is slowly poured into the simmering soup, it instantly transforms the clear broth into a rich, velvety stew that perfectly coats every chickpea.
Chef's Pro-Tips
- Don't skip the soak: Always soak your dried chickpeas overnight. It drastically reduces cooking time and ensures they cook evenly. If you're short on time, you can swap for canned chickpeas, but the broth won't be quite as rich!
- Purée the onions: For a completely silky smooth broth without any chunks, use a stick blender to purée the sautéed onions directly in the pot before you add the chickpeas and water.
- Explore aromatics: A single bay leaf or a sprig of fresh rosemary simmered in the broth adds incredible depth!
Ingredients
- 1 largebrown onion, finely diced
- 50 mlolive oil
- 250 gdried chickpeas, soaked overnight, rinsed, and drained
- 1,350 mlwater
- 2 tspsalt
- 250 mlchilled water
- 30 gplain flour
- 20 mllemon juice (approx. 1/2 lemon)
- 2 sprigsfresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped (for serving)
Instructions
Instructions
- Sauté the onion: Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the finely diced onion and sauté for 5 minutes until soft and translucent. (Optional: If you prefer the smooth texture from the original recipe, use a stick blender to purée the cooked onions right in the pot before proceeding).
- Simmer the chickpeas: Add the soaked chickpeas, 1350 ml of water, and 2 teaspoons of salt to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid, and let it simmer gently for 45–60 minutes. Cook until the chickpeas are completely tender.
- Make the lemon thickener: Whisk the 30 g of plain flour, 20 ml of lemon juice, and 250 ml of chilled water together in a small bowl until completely smooth.
- Thicken the soup: Slowly pour the flour mixture into the simmering soup while stirring constantly. Let it cook uncovered on medium-low heat for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the broth thickens up beautifully.
- Garnish and serve: Ladle into bowls, top with fresh chopped parsley, and serve hot with crusty bread.