Bissara

Bissara is one of Morocco's humblest and most nourishing dishes — a thick, silky purée of dried split fava beans (or dried peas) eaten as a warming breakfast soup or a simple lunch. Sold from steaming roadside pots in the medinas of Fès and Marrakech, it is street food for working people: cheap, sustaining and deeply flavoured with garlic, cumin and paprika. A generous drizzle of olive oil and a shake of ground cumin finish every bowl.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 300g (1½ cups) dried split fava beans (or dried split peas), soaked overnight
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
• 1 tsp ground cumin, plus more to serve
• ½ tsp sweet paprika, plus more to serve
• ½ tsp dried chilli flakes (or cayenne)
• 1 litre (4 cups) water
• 4 tbsp (60ml) extra virgin olive oil, plus more to serve
• Salt to taste
• Juice of ½ lemon

To serve:

• Warm crusty bread or khobz
• Ground cumin, paprika, dried chilli, olive oil

Instructions

1. Drain and rinse the soaked beans. Place in a large pot with the whole garlic cloves and water. Bring to a boil, skim any foam, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Cook for 45-60 minutes until the beans are completely soft and beginning to fall apart.
2. Add the cumin, paprika and chilli flakes. Cook for a further 5 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and blend thoroughly with an immersion blender (or transfer to a jug blender) until completely smooth. The texture should be thicker than a typical soup — more like loose hummus.
4. Return to low heat, stir in the olive oil and lemon juice, and season generously with salt. Thin with a splash of water if the soup is too thick to pour.
5. Ladle into deep bowls and finish each one with a generous drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of ground cumin, a pinch of paprika and a shake of dried chilli.
6. Serve immediately with warm crusty bread for dipping.

Cook's Notes: Split fava beans (dried, skinned and halved) cook much faster than whole dried favas and produce a smoother purée. If using whole dried favas, they require peeling after soaking which adds time. Bissara thickens significantly as it cools; reheat gently with a splash of water while stirring.