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Ful Ahdar bel Roz wal Laban Zabadi

You need young fava beans, not tough old ones. Some supermarkets sell them shelled in the season. Good-quality frozen ones are also fine to use. An Iranian grocer near where I live sells frozen skinned ones from Iran which are exceptional. The dish can be served hot or cold. The yogurt can be poured over the rice or served in a separate bowl.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    serves 6

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups American long-grain rice
Salt
4–5 tablespoons mild extra-virgin olive oil
Bunch of dill or mint, finely chopped
White pepper
14 ounces shelled fava beans, fresh or frozen
2 cups plain whole-milk yogurt
1 clove garlic, crushed (optional)

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Pour the rice into boiling salted water. Boil hard for about 14 minutes, until it is almost but not entirely tender. Drain and put back into the pan. Stir in 3 tablespoons of the oil, the herbs, and salt and pepper to taste. Put the lid on and leave the pan on very low heat for the rice to steam for about 15 minutes, or until tender.

    Step 2

    Boil the fava beans in salted water for a few minutes, until tender, then drain. Stir gently into the rice with the remaining oil.

    Step 3

    Serve hot or cold with the yogurt, beaten with crushed garlic if you like and a little salt, poured over.

Cover of Claudia Roden's The New Book of Middle Easter Food, featuring a blue filigree bowl filled with Meyer lemons and sprigs of mint.
Reprinted with permission from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food, copyright © 2000 by Claudia Roden, published by Knopf. Buy the full book on Amazon or Bookshop.
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