[CH] Egyptian Chili
Porter Banister (porter9@concentric.net)
Tue, 13 Oct 1998 00:54:16 -0400
If any of you chileheads are fans of North African cuisine in general, and
fava beans in particular, I have a great recipe for you to try. Vegetarians
on the list take note - no meat in this one. I made this last night, and I
was very pleased with how it turned out. The Arabic name for this dish is
Foule Mudammes, but I have seen mideast eateries call it Egyptian Chili in
parentheses. It has nearly no heat when ordered in most restaurants, but my
recipe has corrected that egregious oversight.
Egyptian Chili
(Serves 6 - 8)
Ingredients:
6 cans fava beans 15 ounces each (drained)
4 large tomatoes seeded and finely chopped
8 fat cloves garlic finely chopped, divided
2 medium onions finely chopped
18 scallions finely chopped, divided
1 large bell pepper chopped
6 serrano peppers chopped (I left in the seeds)
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp honey
1 small can Harissa (or make 5 ounces fresh)
1 Tbsp white vinegar
6 Tbsp ground cayenne
I Tbsp Hot Paprika
3 Tbsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp Jamaica Hellfire Doc's Special Hot Sauce (use Matouks if Doc's
Special is unavailable, or any fiery Carribean Hot Sauce if Matouks is
unavailable)
¼ tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 Tbsp ground Telichery black pepper
a pinch ground cloves
a pinch of saffron
½ tsp turmeric
¼ cup chopped fresh mint
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 Tbsp standard olive oil (for frying)
Extra Virgin olive oil to taste (for drizzling)
crumbled goat cheese and/or crumbled feta cheese
Method:
Sauté onions and 12 of the scallions in the olive oil until golden
Add bell pepper, 4 of the chopped garlic cloves, and chopped serranos and
continue sautéing several minutes
Lower heat to medium low and add harissa and drained fava beans and cook for
5 minutes stirring often, taking care not to burn anything
At this point transfer everything to a large soup or chili pot
Add chopped tomatoes, honey, Doc's Special, vinegar, and all dry ingredients
Simmer for 30 minutes, or until beans have thickened the chili nicely (you
may have to add water (or tomato sauce) as needed, if it thickens too much,
but by and large this is a thick sort of chili, often scooped up with pieces
of pita bread)
During final 2 minutes of cooking, add mint, parsley, and cilantro
Remove from heat and add the 4 remaining chopped garlic cloves
With a potato masher, mash the fava beans completely right in the pot, and
stir thoroughly after mashing is finished
Top individual servings with lots of feta and goat cheese, and the remaining
scallions, and drizzle extra virgin olive oil liberally (you may use either
feta or goat, but I like it with both) If you do not like either of these
cheeses, you may omit them, but something creamy ought to be added to tame
the heat (perhaps a dollop of creme fraiche or sour cream)
Serve over long grain basmati rice, or bowtie pasta, with warm pita wedges
on the side
Mild hummus is an excellent accompaniment to help put out the fire (think of
it as the guacamole with this chili)
To be cute, when I served this I put out a bottle each of King Tut, and
Queen Nefertiri Hot Sauces (both contain Egyptian spices and are quite
good). I sprinkled a few drops of each on mine, but none of my four
chile-loving (and chili-loving) guests reached for any. That made me both
content and dissapointed.
Hope You Enjoy,
Porter