Besara

Besara: Step by Step

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1. Rinse the beans and simmer them with the chopped onion, garlic and water for 40 minutes, until completely collapsing. Top up with a little water if it dries out.

   Mark done Start 40 min timer

2. Meanwhile fry the sliced onions in 4 tbsp oil over medium heat for 15 minutes, until deep brown and crisp. Drain on paper and reserve the oil.

   Mark done Start 15 min timer

3. Stir the cumin and salt into the cooked beans and take the pan off the heat.

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4. Tip the hot beans into a blender with all the fresh herbs, the lemon juice and the 5 tbsp olive oil.

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5. Blend to a smooth, vividly green purée, working quickly. Add a splash of hot water if it is too stiff to move.

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6. Taste for salt and lemon and pour immediately into a wide shallow dish.

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7. Top with the crisp onions, the cumin, chilli flakes and a spoonful of the onion oil. Serve warm with bread.

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Things to Watch For

1. Herbs in at the end, off the heat. Boiled herbs go grey.
2. Blend hot beans with cold herbs and serve straight away.
3. Keep the onion frying oil — it is the best thing on top.

Ingredient Swaps

• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.

What to Serve It With

Aish baladi · Torshi · Green onions and radishes

Leftovers

Refrigerated for 3 days; the colour fades but the flavour holds. Reheat gently and add fresh lemon.

Besara Nutrition Facts

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.