Foule (pronounced like full with a rounded mouth) will certainly make you full (sorry we had to use the age-old joke). Foule or Fava beans are found throughout the Middle East. They are a peasant’s food; providing a high nutritional value for low cost. Although foule is directly translated to fava beans, the Lebanese dish consists of Fava beans, chickpeas, garlic, lemon, olive oil, and salt. You eat foule for breakfast using pieces of pita bread, onion, or scallions to scoop up the delicious bean mix. You garnish each and every bite with items of your choice such as tomatoes, radishes, onions, parsley, and/or mint. It is really fun to eat because each bite can be a completely different flavor based upon what you mix with it.This is a great dish during the cold months because all the boiling warms up your house. We learned it from the wonderful Amal, who graciously invited us into her home in Ketermaya, Lebanon torecord her family recipes!
Serves: 5-7 people
*Night Before: Soak the chickpeas and favabeans in water for 12 hours and then boil them for 2 hours (until mushy).
Prep time: 35min. (after boiling the beans)
Foule Ingredients
Bean Dip:
2.5 cups (500 g) Dried Fava Beans
2.5 cups (500 g) Dried Chickpeas
Juice from ~ 3lemons (depending on taste)
salt to taste
1 bulb of garlic
Garnishes:
4 MediumTomatoes, diced
8 Small Radishes, cleaned
4 Medium Onions, cut into 4ths
1 bunch Parsley, diced
1 bunch Mint, cleaned
Love Tips & Tricks:
With foule, the ratio of chickpeas to fava beans is certainly up to your taste and preference. However, in true Lebanese fashion, as taught to us by Amal,we recommend that you use a ratio of 1:1 with chickpeas to fava beans.
The trick to foule is to cook the beans separately and to cook them until they are very soft so that they are easy to mash down.
You must make sure to have enough water when you boil the bean becauseyou don’t want your beans to dry out. You might have to replenish the beans with water as they boil to the right consistency.
Remember not to discard the bean broth once the beans are done boilingbecause the broth will be added to the beans to liquify the consistency and addflavor to the taste of the final dish.
Lebanese Foule Recipe
Serves5-7
1. Washing and Soaking the Beans
Rinse both the fava beans and the chickpeas with water and placethem inseparatebowls with double the amount of cold water as cups of beans to soak overnight (at least 12 hours).
2. Cookthe beans until they are soft
In the morning, strain the water from the soaked beans and add the fava beans and chickpeas to separate pots. Add in enough water so that the water is two inches above the beans. Bring to a boil overhigh heat. Remove the scum (foam) from the surface of the beans as soon as it develops. Keep the beans cooking at a high temperature until they become mushy.To ensure that the beans are covered with water at all times, you might need to add more water.Once cooked, set the beans aside and keep them in the bean broth until you are ready to combine ingredients.
Love Tip: You can also combine steps 1 & 2 by using 2 crockpots and cooking the beans separatelyovernight. Just make sure to add ample water in the crock pot
3. Mash the Garlic with Salt & Juice the Lemons
Clean a bulb of garlic into individual cloves and add them toa mortar (or food processor) with1 Tbsp of salt and crush themup with the pestle into a chunky paste. Juice the lemons in a cup. Set the lemon and crush garlic aside.
5. Combining the Ingredients
Combine the favabeans, chickpeas, some of thelemon juice and garlic to a large bowl and mash them together with the pestle. Add the bean broth to the mixture to loosen the consistency of the dish. Salt to taste.
Love Tip: Do not put all of the lemon orgarlic paste in the mixture to begin with, instead, add it bit by bit according to your taste.
6. Prepare the Garnishes and serve on a seperate plate so that your guestscan choose which ones they want to eatwith each bite!
Love Tip: Our favorite way to eat foule is to scoop it up with the wedges of raw onion and then take a bite of mint.
Written by The Recipe Hunters: Anthony MoranoandLeila Elamine
