Ful Medames

Serve with rice or bread, and salad on the side.

Ingredients
3 tsps cumin seeds
2 tbs olive oil
5 garlic cloves, crushed
350 g fava or broad beans (frozen are fine: if dried, soak overnight in water)
juice of 2 lemons
large handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped
salt and pepper
1 tsp paprika, plus more to garnish

Preparation
Dry fry the cumin seeds in a heavy pan until they are brown and aromatic. Grind them to a powder with a pestle and mortar, or an electric spice grinder.
In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil until hot. Add the garlic and fry until soft. Add 2 teaspoons of the ground cumin and stir into the garlic. Add the drained fava/broad beans and stir until evenly mixed with garlic and cumin.
Add enough water to cover the beans, bring to the boil, and simmer for about an hour. You may need to add more water to keep the beans nice and soupy.
Stir in the lemon juice and remaining cumin, parsley, paprika, and salt and pepper, mashing the beans slightly so some of them break down into the liquid.
Serve with a sprinkling of paprika on top, with a side salad and pitta bread.
(Pronounced ‘fool ma-darmess’)