Bissara is a soup and a bean dip of North African cuisine of Berber origin. Prepared with dried puréed broad beans and/or split peas as a primary ingredient. Additional ingredients include garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, hot red pepper, cumin, and salt.
Mulukhyah or Jute Mallow is a green leafy vegetable, that is believed to come from the Arabic word Mulukia which means royals. Mulukia comes from the word melek meaning king. Mulukhyah is a very popular dish not only in Palestine but also across the Middle East and North Africa. Mulukhyah originating in Egypt thousands of years ago during the era of Pharaohs. Pharaohs liked to eat for its great health benefits. I will post more about Mulukhyah recipe in a future post.
Bissara is an old traditional dish that I grew up eating and was one of my late father’s favorite. My mother always made sure to dry some Mulukhyah leaves during summer, which is the season for this vegetable so she can make this dish. Dried Mulukhyah leaves are essential for making bissara.
Bissara is a vegan dish that consists of two main ingredients, dried split fava beans and dried Mulukhyah leaves. This is a simple flavorful dish high in protein and filled with a lemony garlicky taste. It’s more like a thick dip and served with khobez (Arabic bread). You can find more soups here.
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Bissara (Fava Beans with Mulukhyah) بصارة
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Category: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried split fava beans
- 4 cups of tap water
- 1 cup dried mulukhyah
- 4-5 garlic cloves crushed
- Jalapeño or hot pepper (optional)
- 3-4 juice of fresh lemon about ½ a cup
- 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- salt
Instructions
- Soak fava beans overnight.
- Rinse fava bean, place in the pot and cover with water, once it starts boiling lower the heat to medium and cook uncovered for 30 minutes or until beans are fully softened.
- Blend cooked fava beans with the water (if using a regular blender make sure to uncover the top of the mix is hot)
- Add dried mulukhyah over blended beans integrate both well and let it cook for 20 minutes on low heat with occasional steering.
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a skillet, add crushed garlic and hot pepper (optional), and sauté until garlic is golden.
- Pour garlic over the mix, add salt and fresh lemon juice integrate everything well together, and let it cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Add a drizzle of olive oil on top of the mix once ready
- Serve with khobez (Arabic bread).
Notes
This recipe makes 3-4 servings
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