This North African bean dish is very popular in Egypt where it is served with flat bread and fresh vegetable sticks. Fava beans are also known as broad beans.
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups large dried fava beans, soaked overnight and drained
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 8 cups water
- 1 small green chile, seeded and chopped
- 4 tbsp. lemon juice
- 2 tsp. ground cumin
- sea salt and black pepper
- paprika
- chopped fresh parsley, to garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place the fava beans, garlic, 1/4 cup olive oil, and water in a saucepan.
- Bring to a boil, cover, then cook over medium heat until the beans are tender, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, depending on size and freshness of the beans.
- Drain and cool, reserving 1 1/2 cups of the cooking liquor.
- Place the beans and the green chile in a food processor with 1 cup of the reserved liquor.
- Blend until smooth, adding more of the liquid if necessary to achieve a firm but soft purée.
- Return the purée to a clean saucepan and stir in the lemon juice, cumin, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Cook gently for 5 minutes, stirring.
- Transfer the bissara to a serving bowl.
- Drizzle with the remaining olive oil, sprinkle with paprika to taste, and garnish with parsley.
- Serve at room temperature with flat bread and vegetable sticks, if desired.
VARIATIONS:
BISSARA WITH GRILLED ZUCCHINI:
- Prepare the basic recipe and spread it onto a platter. Slice 2 zucchini lengthwise and lay on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with lemon juice and a little salt and pepper. Put under a hot broiler until just beginning to char around the edges. Alternatively, cook the zucchini on a grill. Place the zucchini slices over the bissara.
PINTO BEAN PUREE:
- Prepare the basic recipe, using pinto beans in place of fava beans.
WHITE BEAN AND GARLIC PUREE:
- Prepare the basic recipe, using navy beans in place of fava beans and adding 1 or 2 more garlic cloves.
FRESH FAVA BEAN BISSARA:
- Prepare the basic recipe, using 2 1/2 pounds fresh fava beans in place of the dried fava beans. To cook, remove the beans from their pods and cook in boiling water for 10 minutes, until tender; drain and refresh with cold water. Remove the skins from the beans to reveal the bright green beans inside. Continue as for basic recipe.
