Nokhat Shurak

Rinse the chickpeas, place them in a large bowl, add the baking soda and 1500 ml of water. Leave for 8 hours or overnight so the chickpeas swell well.

Drain off the soaking water and rinse the chickpeas thoroughly. Cut the lamb ribs into medium-sized pieces.

Put the chickpeas into a cauldron or a thick-bottomed pot, arrange the lamb ribs on top, and pour in 2500 ml of clean water.

Bring to a boil, skim off the foam, add a whole peeled onion, cover with a lid, and reduce the heat to the lowest setting.

Simmer for 6–8 hours, until the chickpeas are soft and the meat easily pulls away from the bones. After 5 hours of cooking, add the salt, cumin, and ground black pepper.

Cut the second onion into thin half-rings and rinse with cold water to remove excess bitterness.

Remove the whole onion from the cauldron, ladle the chickpeas into deep bowls, top with the lamb ribs, and add the fresh onion. Serve the nokhat shurak hot with a bit of the broth.