Bissara is one of what I call "frugal recipes" in Egyptian cuisine. This dish is economical, nutritious, and very easy to put together. Those of you who love falafel will most probably like this dish too.
Bissara
I've always thought that bissara is falafel pudding... seriously. Bissara has all the flavors and ingredients of the Egyptian falafel but in a thick dip form . I did not really enjoy it a lot when I was little, but if you have been following me for some time, you know I did not like 99.9% of food in this world when I was growing up.
When I first tried guacamole here in the United States, it reminded me so much of bissara. Maybe because they are both green!
Bessara or Bissara is a vegan recipe made with boiling split beans, onion, garlic and fresh herbs. I used to saute onion and garlic first then add the rest of the ingredients and boil until the beans are tender. This time I just dumped everything in for an easier recipe.
How to make bissara
- In a deep pot over medium high heat add soaked and drained beans, onion, garlic and fresh herbs.
- Add the cumin, dry mint, salt then pour in water to cover.
- Bring everything to a boil then simmer stirring occasionally. If it soaked up all the water feel free to add more, half a cup at a time.
- Keep cooking until the beans are very tender.
- Using your hand blender or an ordinary blender blend all the ingredients together until very smooth.
- Pour back into the pot and boil again.
- Check seasonings adding more salt, cumin and black pepper to taste.
- In a non stick skillet brown onions in some olive oil.
- Pour the Bissara mixture in serving plates and garnish with browned onions. Serve hot or cold.
How to eat bissara
Bissara can be served hot or cold and is eaten as a dip or scooped up with some pita bread for lunch or a meatless dinner. I also love to serve bissara with some diced tomato mixed with one crushed garlic clove and some salt and cumin. It is so delicious and goes very well with bissara.
Amira’s Tips
- Cook the beans until they mash easily with a fork before blending. If it is still firm, the beans may need more cooking time. Firm beans result in a grainy texture.
- Add enough water to keep the beans cooking, then add more only as needed. You can always loosen a thick dip, but excess water takes longer to cook off.
- If your bissara is too thin: Gently simmer it uncovered after blending, stirring frequently, until it reaches a scoopable consistency. Keep the heat gentle to prevent sticking
- For beautifully browned onions: Stir frequently and lower the heat if the edges begin browning too quickly. Your goal is a golden brown color as burnt onions can make the topping bitter.
FAQs
Use dried, peeled, split fava beans for this recipe. Look for pale, skinless bean halves rather than whole brown beans with their skins attached. You can usually find them at Middle Eastern or Mediterranean grocery stores.
This recipe’s soaking time, water amount, and cooking instructions are written for dried split beans. Canned beans are already cooked, so they would need a different method. For the recipe as written, choose dried, peeled, split fava beans.
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container and use within 3 to 4 days. Reheat with a splash of water to loosed the dip in the microwave or on the stop stirring occasionally. Keep the onion topping separate until serving.
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Bissara (Egyptian Fava Bean Dip)
Ingredients
For the dip:
- 1 cup (180g) Peeled dried split fava beans measured before soaking
- ½ cup (15g) Fresh parsley , coarsely chopped.
- ½ cup (15g) Fresh cilantro , coarsely chopped.
- ¼ cup (4g) Fresh dill , coarsely chopped.
- 1 (90g) Small onion , quartered.
- 3 garlic cloves , about 12g
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried mint
- 1 teaspoon salt or to your liking.
- 2-3 cups water
For the onion topping
- 1 medium onion roughly chopped or sliced
- ¼ cup frying oil
- More cumin, salt and black pepper to taste for final seasoning.
Instructions
- Rinse the dried, peeled, split fava beans and place them in a large bowl. Cover generously with cool water and soak for 1 hour. Drain and rinse before cooking.
- In a deep pot, add beans, onion, garlic, and fresh herbs.
- Add cumin, dry mint, and salt, then pour in water to cover.
- Add 2 ½ cups of water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the beans are very tender.
- If the mixture becomes too dry before the beans soften, add more water, ¼ cup at a time. Cook until the beans mash easily with a spoon.
- Blend until very smooth using an immersion blender. Alternatively, let the mixture cool slightly, then blend in batches in a countertop blender, following the manufacturer’s instructions for hot liquids.
- If using a countertop blender, return the blended mixture to the pot. Bring to a gentle simmer over low heat, stirring frequently, until it reaches a thick, scoopable consistency.
- Check seasonings adding more salt, cumin and black pepper to taste.
Browning the onion:
- Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown.
- Lower the heat if the onion begins browning too quickly, and remove the skillet from the heat before it burns.
- Spoon the bissara into serving dishes and top with the browned onions.
Notes
- Please check the nutrition disclaimer policy.
Nutrition
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Dina
Excellent and very true to the authentic Egyptian taste. Have already made it twice. Hats off to you, Amira!
Neva
I had canned and whole Fava beans, but no split and peeled ones. Not wanting to wait to soak the beans, I peeled and split the canned ones. It was delicious! I’ll be purchasing the proper beans soon, as I’m also wanting to make your falafel!
I added cayenne, as I like spicy. Yum!!!
Mohan
Hello, Amira, I have made bissara a few times before, but today I am going to try your recipe, as it looks like a major upgrade to my recipe. One question: how do you get your fried onions to be so beautifully browned without burning? Whenever I fry onions like this, they either don't get past a light brown, or else they burn. What is your secret, if you don't mind sharing?
Amira
Mohan, thank you for your comment and I hope you will like it. For the onions, you need to keep stirring it every 1-2 minutes so it does not burn and you can also lower the heat so it won't burn easily. I hope this helps.
Sarah Kaldas
Hello Amira, for the fava beans, do you use canned or dry?
Amira
Hello Sarah, this one if the split fava beans. It is sold dry in most Mediterranean stores.
Abeer
Oh my Amira I've been looking for a good recipe that tastes like what my grandma used to make. This came out just like hers. My vegan friends liked it very mush.
Amira
Abeer, this is awesome. I am happy your friends liked it and it brought back good old memories.
JH
Tasted yummy, but came out liquidy for me. What do you think went wrong?
Christine Raouf
You may not add too much water at the begining as it easier to add if needed after blended.