To tell you the truth, I spent most of my life eating canned fava beans until I tasted the homemade one 7 years ago & I was hooked. I can’t tell you the difference between the homemade versus the canned one but honestly the taste can’t be compared.

There is no better timing to share this recipe than now; right before Ramadan; the month of fava beans hahah. It is a super simple recipe that requires zero effort from your side.

Soaking the beans in baking soda is crucial: it speeds up the cooking (2hrs instead of 6hrs), lets the beans get rid of their dark color, reduces the bloating you get after eating beans.

I know people who made fava beans at home before hate the fact that the beans get darker/greyish once they cool but this recipe offers the solution. Using lemon juice & paprika prevents this color change because they act as anti oxidants; keeping the beans color amazing as if they were just cooked.

The paprika & lemon in this recipe have zero effect on the taste but they are mandatory for preventing the beans from changing color.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups raw fava beans 350 gm فول
• 1/3 cup red lentil عدس اصفر
• 1/2 tsp paprika بابريكا
• 1 medium lemon ليمون
• 1 large tomato quartered طماطم
• 7 cups water at room temperature

For the Soaking:

• 1 tsp baking soda بيكربونات الصودا
• Water

For storing:

• Juice of 1-2 lemons

Directions:

• 12 hours before cooking the fava beans, put the fava beans & baking soda in a bowl & cover with alot of water as the beans will expand a lot. Leave the bowl on the kitchen counter overnight or for 12 hours.
• The next day, you will notice that the soaking water became so dark. Discard the water, rinse & drain the fava beans.
• Place the beans in a pot & add the paprika, lentils, tomato & water. Squeeze the juice of the lemon over the mixture & place the 2 lemon halves inside the pot.
• Cover the pot & place over medium high heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Once the mixture starts boiling strongly, place the pot on the smallest stove flame & reduce heat to the lowest.
• Let the lentils cook covered for 2 hours. You don’t need to keep checking on the pot; don’t worry the beans won’t dry out as the water is too much.
• After 2 hours, get one fava bean out of the pot, if it’s soft & mashed easily when you press on it with a fork then it’s done. If not, leave it for another half an hour but add an extra 1/2 cup of HOT water.
• Pour the fava beans in a box & squeeze lemon juice all over the surface of the beans. This forms a whitish protective layer to prevent the beans from changing color.
• Once the mixture cools down, cover & store in the fridge up to 5-7 days.

Notes:

• The lentils & beans brand I use is El Doha.
• When you pour the fava beans in the box, you will notice that the water is too much. You can get rid of 1-2 ladles not more as the beans absorb more water as they cool & thicken a bit.
• You can store the beans in single portions in zip lock bags in the freezer.
• If you want to see a video of the cooking process, check my instagram account.