Slow-Simmered Ful with Tahini and Garlic Tasha

Method

1. Spread the beans on a tray and pick out any shrivelled or broken ones and small stones. Rinse well, then soak in at least four times their volume of cold water for 12 hours; they nearly double in size, so use a big bowl. Discard the soaking water and rinse.

2. Put the soaked beans, red lentils and water in a 18 cm pot, bring to the boil on high heat, skim off the foam and boil hard for 10 minutes. Then lower to low heat, set the lid ajar and simmer for 2 h. Check every 30 minutes and top up with hot water so the beans are always just covered. They are done when one crushes completely, skin and all, between tongue and palate; the lentils melt into the liquid and make it creamy. Undercooked dried beans can make you ill, so always cook them all the way.

   Add in this stepDried small fava beans (Egyptian ful, skin on) 120 gRed lentils 15 gWater for simmering 1,250 ml

   high heat→low heat

3. When the beans are nearly ready, bring water to the boil in a 16 cm pot on high heat, lower in the eggs with a spoon and cook for 7 min. Move them straight into cold water, then peel. The yolks will be soft and jammy.

   Add in this stepEggs 2

   high heat

4. Tahini sauce: put the tahini, half the lemon juice and half the garlic, finely grated, in a bowl and whisk in the cold water a little at a time. It seizes and thickens at first, then turns pale and smooth as yogurt as you add more water.

   Add in this stepTahini 1½ tbspLemon juice 1 tbspGarlic cloves 1½Cold water (for the tahini sauce) 1½ tbsp

5. Keep the bean pot on low heat and add the salt, half the cumin and the remaining lemon juice. Mash about a third of the beans with a potato masher and simmer for 5 min more, until it is like a loose porridge that slides slowly off a spoon. If too thick, add a little hot water.

   Add in this stepSalt ¾ tspGround cumin ½ tspLemon juice 1 tbsp

   low heat

6. Tasha: pour the olive oil into a small 14 cm pan, add the rest of the garlic, thinly sliced, and cook on medium-low heat for 1 min 30 sec, stirring, until pale golden; dark brown garlic is bitter. Turn off the heat and immediately add the cumin and pul biber so they sizzle in the residual heat.

   Add in this stepExtra virgin olive oil 2⅛ tbspGarlic cloves 1½Ground cumin ½ tspPul biber (Aleppo-style pepper) or chilli flakes ½ tsp

   medium-low heat

7. Warm the pita in a dry pan on medium heat for 1 min per side.

   Add in this stepPita (or baladi bread) 2

   medium heat

8. Ladle the ful into bowls, drizzle with tahini sauce and spoon the hot tasha over with all its oil. Top with halved jammy eggs, diced tomato and parsley and finish with a last trickle of olive oil. Serve with the warm bread.

   Add in this stepExtra virgin olive oil 0.9 tbspTomatoes (medium) 1Flat-leaf parsley, chopped 2 tbsp