Moroccan Fava Bean (Broad Bean) Dip or Soup (Bessara)

Bessara, a Moroccan comfort food, is a pureed dip or soup crafted from dried fava beans, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil.

Category Tags:

AppetizerSide DishCondiment

Cuisine Tags:

Moroccan

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Instructions

  1. Start boiling a generous amount of water for cooking fava beans.

  2. Soak dried fava beans in a large bowl covered with cold water for 8 hours or overnight.

  3. Drain the soaked fava beans and peel if necessary.

  4. Transfer peeled fava beans to a medium pot, cover with water, bring to a boil, then simmer for 1 hour or until tender.

  5. Drain beans, reserving the cooking liquid.

  6. In a food processor, combine drained beans, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of reserved liquid, salt, cumin, and paprikas. Process until smooth, adding more reserved liquid to reach desired dip or soup consistency.

  7. Taste and adjust seasoning.

  8. Reheat and serve warm, garnished with parsley.

Nutritional Info (per serving)

Calories: 149 kcal
Carbohydrate: 8 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Fiber: 2 g
Protein: 3 g
Saturated Fat: 2 g
Sodium: 615 mg
Sugar: 1 g
Fat: 12 g
Unsaturated Fat: 0 g