Shahan ful

The beans are crushed to a coarse paste in the pan after they have softened, not before.

Not vegetarian — contains feta whose rennet the source does not name.

Ingredients

• 400 g dried fava beans, soaked overnight
• 1.2 litres water
• 3 tablespoons niter kibbeh, as on its own page
• 2 teaspoons berbere
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 spring onions, sliced
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 2 hot green peppers, sliced
• 150 g plain yoghurt
• 100 g feta, crumbled
• 1 lemon, in wedges
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Method

1. THE BEANS ARE CRUSHED TO A COARSE PASTE IN THE PAN AFTER THEY HAVE SOFTENED, NOT BEFORE. Its article gives the whole method in two clauses: it IS MADE BY SLOWLY COOKING FAVA BEANS IN WATER, and ONCE THE BEANS HAVE SOFTENED, THEY ARE CRUSHED INTO A COARSE PASTE. Coarse is the word to hold on to -- this is not hummus.
2. SO HALF OF IT STAYS WHOLE. Press with a masher four or five times and stop. Smooth paste and whole beans are both wrong; what is wanted is some of each in the same spoonful.
3. SOAK THEM OVERNIGHT AND COOK THEM SLOWLY. An hour and a half at a bare simmer in unsalted water, topped up as needed. Salt early and the skins stay tough.
4. THE TOPPINGS ARE THE DISH AS MUCH AS THE BEANS. The article lists what it is served with and the list is long: CHOPPED GREEN ONIONS, TOMATOES, AND HOT GREEN PEPPERS, AS WELL AS YOGURT, FETA CHEESE, OLIVE OIL, TESMI, BERBERE, LEMON JUICE, CUMIN, AND CHILI PEPPER.
5. TESMI IS NITER KIBBEH, AND IT GOES IN HOT AT THE END. The article names it in that list; it is the Tigrinya word for the same spiced butter.
6. CRUSH, THEN SEASON, THEN DRESS. Berbere and cumin stirred through the crushed beans off the heat, the butter poured over, and only then the raw things on top.
7. EVERYTHING RAW STAYS RAW AND GOES ON IN HEAPS. Spring onion, tomato, green pepper, feta, a spoon of yoghurt, a thread of olive oil. Stirred in, they cook and go dull.
8. IT IS EATEN WITH BREAD AND NO CUTLERY. The article has it TYPICALLY EATEN WITHOUT THE AID OF UTENSILS ACCOMPANIED WITH A BREAD ROLL, and notes it is eaten through Ramadan and the Lents.
9. IT IS CLOSE TO EGYPT'S FUL MEDAMES AND THE ARTICLE SAYS SO. The difference you can taste is the butter and the berbere; the difference in the pan is that this one is crushed.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Ethiopia · All recipes