Fresh fava beans are in season in spring, and so it is no surprise that it became part of the Passover table for Middle Eastern Jewish homes.
Although fava is part of the kitniyot (legume), Sephardi Jews are allowed to consume those during Passover. Rice, also considered kitniyot, is consumed by many Sephardim during Passover, but is forbidden in other Sephardi communities, like the Moroccan, and sometimes the Iraqi and Turkish too.
At the beginning of the season, the pods of the fava are tender enough to eat, and as the season progresses, the pods become larger and tougher and at this point it’s better to remove the pods and even the thin skin around each bean and only then cook it. You can find frozen fava beans at some Middle Eastern supermarkets year round, peeled and ready.
Rice with fava bean and herb
Course: sidesCuisine: Jewish, Israeli, Sephardi8
servings10
minutes20
minutes30
minutesFresh fava beans are in season in spring, and so it is no surprise that it became part of the Passover table for Middle Eastern Jewish homes. And as Sephardim eat kitniyot (legume) during Passover, both fava and rice, as in this recipe below, are Passover essentials.
INGREDIENTS
¼ cup olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, sliced
2 cups Jasmine rice, washed and drained
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 bunch parsley, chopped
14 oz. frozen or fresh peeled green fava beans
2½ teaspoons kosher salt
¾ cups freshly squeezed lemon juice
2¼ cups boiling water
DIRECTIONS
- Put oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add chopped onion and garlic and sauté, stirring frequently, until onion is golden.
- Add rice, mix and sauté for one minute. Add herbs, fava and salt and mix well. Add lemon juice and boiling water, bring to boil, then lower the heat to lowest, cover with lid, and let cook for 5 minutes.
- Mix the rice again (the herbs and fava tend to float up, so mix them in), cover and cook for 10 minutes longer or until the rice is ready.
- Remove from heat, remove the lid, quickly put a kitchen towel over the pot and place back the lid in place. Let the rice stand for 30 minutes with towel on. Fluff rice with a fork and serve.
Are the fave beans the same with edamame beans?
Thanks for asking. They’re not the same, but you can substitute with edamame in this recipe.
Toda.