Name: Bessara
Yield: Serves 4–6
Cuisine: Moroccan
Ingredients: lemon juice; chopped green of 1 spring onion (scallion), or chives (optional); olive oil; 450 g/1 lb (2⅔ cups) dried broad (fava) beans, soaked overnight; 1 tablespoon each powdered cumin and sweet red pepper; powdered cumin; sweet red pepper; water; 6 cloves garlic, peeled; salt; 150 ml/¼ pint (⅔ cup) olive oil

Preparation info

Serves
4–6

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Taste of Morocco

By Robert Carrier

Published 1987

About

A thick purée of broad (fava) beans – a speciality of the Rif – is usually served as a dip. I prefer it, with a little more liquid added, as a delicious hot soup. The trick is to garnish it with powdered cumin, sweet red pepper and chopped spring onion (scallion), with a dribble of fruity olive oil to add to the flavour.