Egyptian Breakfast Beans

Category: Breakfast Recipes

Not used to eating beans for breakfast? It can take some getting used to—but before you know it you’ll be wondering how you ate anything else. This traditional Egyptian breakfast recipe is super simple and incredibly satisfying. You do need to soak and cook the beans, but to save time it’s easy enough to cook bulk beans ahead of time and freeze so they’re on hand and ready to go.

ingredients

  • 1½ pounds dried fava beans, soaked for 8 to 10 hours
  • 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced small
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • Zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • Sea salt
  • 1 lemon, quartered
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Direction

  1. Drain and rinse the beans and add them to a large pot. Cover with 4 inches of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook until the beans are tender, 1½ to 2 hours.
  2. While the beans are cooking, sauté the onion in a medium skillet or saucepan over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, or until it is tender and starting to brown. Add the garlic, cumin, and lemon zest and juice and cook for 5 minutes longer. Set aside.
  3. When the beans are fully cooked, drain all but ½ cup of the liquid from the pot and add the onion mixture to the beans. Mix well and season with salt to taste. Serve garnished with the lemon quarters.