Fuul Recipe

Prepare beans

If using dried fava beans: rinse 2 cups dried fava beans and soak them in enough water to cover for 8–12 hours or overnight. Drain, then place beans in a large pot and add about 6 cups fresh water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until beans are tender, 45–75 minutes depending on size. If using canned cooked fava beans, drain and rinse, and skip to step for sautéing.

Sauté aromatics

While beans are cooking (or in a separate skillet if using canned), heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil or niter kibbeh over medium heat in a wide sauté pan. Add 4 minced garlic cloves and cook 30–45 seconds until fragrant but not browned.

Add cooked or drained fava beans to the pan with the garlic. Use the back of a spoon or a potato masher to lightly mash roughly half of the beans so you have a mix of whole and mashed beans for texture.

Stir in 2 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp ground black pepper and 1.5 tsp salt. Add 1–2 ladlefuls of the bean cooking liquid (or water) to loosen the mixture and simmer gently for 5–8 minutes so flavors meld. Taste and adjust salt and spices.

Finish with 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice stirred in off the heat. Keep warm for serving.

Combine 1 cup thinly sliced red onion and 1 cup diced tomato in a bowl. Add 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, 0.5 tsp salt and 0.25 cup chopped cilantro or parsley. Toss gently and let sit for at least 10 minutes to soften and marry flavors. Taste and adjust seasoning.

In a small blender or using an immersion blender, combine 1 chopped fresh red chile, 1 garlic clove, 1 tbsp berbere (or 1 tbsp crushed red chile flakes), 2 tbsp olive oil, 0.5 tsp honey, 1 tsp red wine vinegar (or lemon juice), and 0.25 tsp salt. Blend until smooth or to desired texture. If mixture is too thick, add 1–2 tsp water or olive oil to loosen. Taste and adjust heat/sweetness/acid. Transfer to a small bowl.

Warm the injera, pita, or bread. If using Ayibe-style cheese substitution, crumble 0.75 cup feta or spoon ricotta into a small bowl and drizzle with 1 tsp olive oil. Keep a small handful of additional chopped cilantro for garnish.

To serve: spoon a generous portion of the stewed fava beans onto a shallow serving plate. Make a few shallow wells in the top. Scatter the onion-tomato topping over one side of the beans. Add a spoonful of awaze on the other side (or serve awaze on the side for diners to adjust heat). Crumble the cheese (Ayibe/feta/ricotta) into the center or along one edge. Drizzle a little olive oil over the whole dish and sprinkle the remaining chopped cilantro.

Serve hot with warm injera, pita, or bread for scooping. Encourage diners to mix components as they eat so every bite has beans, awaze, onion-tomato and cheese.