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Shorbet ful nabet
Sprouted broad bean soup
Ful nabet soup: Egyptian Coptic sprouted broad bean soup with garlic, cumin and lemon
Copts in Egypt keep long, strict fasts with no animal products: more than 200 days a year, including 55 days before Easter. Ful nabet, sprouted dried broad beans, is a fasting staple, and its soup is a clear, savoury broth fragrant with garlic, cumin and lemon, with the tender sprouted beans in it. It is said to be good for colds and is popular in winter. It is vegan, gluten free and high in protein; the sprouting takes 3 days, so plan ahead. Chef's tip: use small whole (skin-on) dried broad beans, as split ones won't sprout.
- Total time
- 80 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 10 ½ oz whole dried small broad beans
- 2 tbsp olive or sunflower oil
- 1 onionchopped
- 5 cloves garliccrushed
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 6 ¼ cups water
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 lemonsjuiced
- 1 handful parsleychopped
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Soak 10 ½ oz whole dried small broad beans in cold water for 24 hours. Drain, spread on a damp cloth in a tray, cover with another damp cloth and leave at room temperature for 2 days, rinsing twice a day, until short white sprouts appear.
Step 2: Fry 1 onion in 2 tbsp olive or sunflower oil for 6 minutes until soft, then add 5 cloves garlic and 2 tsp ground cumin for 1 minute.
7 minStep 3: Add the sprouted beans and 6 ¼ cups water, bring to the boil, skim, and simmer for 45–60 minutes, until the beans are tender and their skins soft.
50 minStep 4: Season with 1 ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper. A common mistake is adding salt at the start, which keeps the bean skins hard.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 16 g
- Carbs
- 36 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 12 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does shorbet ful nabet take?
- About 80 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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