Shahan Ful (Horn of Africa Fava Beans)
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Shahan ful is fava beans cooked down with onion, garlic and berbere until thick, topped with yoghurt, tomato and chilli, and eaten with bread. It is a breakfast across Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan and South Sudan, and no single country is claimed. It is the same dish family as Egyptian ful medames, and the source is right to say so, the difference is the seasoning. Egyptian ful leans on cumin, lemon and olive oil; shahan ful is built on berbere, the Ethiopian chilli and spice blend, and finished with ghee. That single substitution changes the whole character while the technique stays identical. The origin is generally traced to Sudan, and fava beans themselves are among the oldest cultivated crops in the region, they have been eaten around the Nile for thousands of years. It is eaten by hand with bread, no cutlery, and the toppings are stirred in by whoever is eating rather than mixed by the cook. That is why the method leaves the yoghurt, tomato and chilli in distinct piles on top: each person combines their own. Ramadan and the Ethiopian and Eritrean Lenten fasts are both when it is eaten most, being filling, cheap and, without the ghee and yoghurt, entirely plant-based.
Shahan ful is a fava bean dish eaten at breakfast across Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan and South Sudan, generally thought to have originated in Sudan. It belongs to the same family as Egyptian ful medames and is distinguished by the use of berbere. It is eaten during Ramadan and the Lenten fasts.
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Warm the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Put in the onion and garlic and cook, turning often, until softened, about 7 minutes.
Mix in the berbere, black pepper and cumin and cook for a minute so the spices bloom in the oil.
Tip in the fava beans with all their liquid and cook, turning often, for 10 minutes.
Lower the heat and cook, turning constantly, until the mixture is very thick, about 5 minutes. If the beans have not broken down, mash them against the side of the pan with a wooden spoon.
Mix in the ghee if using, then take the pan off the heat.
Divide the beans between two bowls.
Top each with a large dollop of yoghurt, a pile of diced tomato and a pile of chilli, kept separate rather than mixed in.
To eat, stir the toppings through the beans yourself and scoop it up with bread.
Personal notes from Nympha NzeribeBe the first to rate this recipe
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