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Nabet

An Egyptian soup made with sprouted fava beans.

Ingredients

1 lb broad beans (dry weight, sprouted, rinsed and drained)
1 onion (chopped)
1 T cumin (wole seeds, toasted)
1 lemon (the juice)
  seasoning (salt and ground pepper to taste)
1 bread (day old flat bread, cut into pieces)
  water
4 t coriander (optional, fresh leaves, chopped)

Instructions

  1. Place the sprouted beans in a large pot and cover with water. Add salt and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer until tender, 1-2 hours.
  2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pan on a medium-low heat and cook the onion until tender, about 5-6 minutes. Add the toasted cumin seeds and stir a couple of times.
  3. Pour the onion and cumin over the beans. Simmer 25-30 minutes more.
  4. Heat the rest of the oil in a pan and fry the flat bread pieces.
  5. To serve, place a few pieces of fried bread on a bowl, squeeze a little lemon juice over the bread, and pour the hot soup into the bowl.
  6. Garnish with chopped coriander, if using it.
Total time
2 hours, 45 minutes
Cooking time
150
Preparation time
15
Yield
4 servings

Notes

When boiling the beans, skim the foam that forms.

Substitute the sprouted broad beans, or fava beans, with tender broad beans, shelled, and reduce the time they need to cook. Tender beans would only need to simmer for 30-45 minutes in total, so the beans and the liquid can be added to the cooked onion.

For more flavor, add some chopped garlic with the onion and try to add some cardamom with the cumin.

Sprouting the beans

Place the dry broad beans, or fava beans, on a shallow bowl and cover the beans with water. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let it rest in a cool, dark place. Change the water daily until the beans sprout, about 5 days.