A Taste of Upper Egypt

This past week I spent a couple of days in Upper Egypt, namely Assiut and Minya. Assiut is known as the region's most important agricultural center, and Minya is known as the "Bride of Egypt" due to its strategic location in Middle Egypt. I was thrilled to escape from the hustle and bustle of Cairo for a few days.
We stayed at a pleasant resort in Minya called Horus where we ate the majority of our meals at the resort restaurant. Most of the meals consisted of various appetizer salads such as fattouch, baba ghanoug, tahini dip, and tomatoes in garlic sauce, all of which were served up in stoneware bowls with an enormous bowl of bread and rolls. After filling up on all of these tasty salads, we were hardly hungry for a main course.

I was particularly intrigued by my Egyptian coworker's breakfast choice before setting out for a full day of site visits in villages and towns between Minya and Assiut. If you're looking for a filling Egyptian breakfast dish that's simple to prepare, try fuul with tahini (fava beans with sesame seed paste). It will keep your hunger at bay all day.

Ful with tahini

"Baladi", or country, bread

Fuul with Tahini

Preparation Time

15 minutes (if using canned fava beans)
1 hour if using dried fava beans

Ingredients

• 4 cups fava beans (to save time, use canned fava beans)
• 1 tbsp. vegetable or corn oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons tahini (can be found in many large grocery stores)
• Chili pepper (to taste)
• Lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• Salt and pepper (to taste)

Directions


1. Cook the fava beans per the instructions on the bag (or, if using canned beans, omit this step)

2. In a pan, heat 1 tbsp. oil

3. Add the previously prepared beans

3. Mix with tahini, garlic and chili pepper

4. Season beans with cumin, salt and pepper

5. Add lemon juice and taste to adjust seasoning

6. Serve in bowl alongside an accompanying  plate of lemon slices, fresh chopped parsley, cumin, chili powder, salt and white pepper that can be added to the dish as desired

This dish is great when scooped up with crudités. It can be stored in a container with a tightly-fitting lid in the refrigerator for 3-4 days and reheated.