Ta'ameya

Ingredients

• 300g dried split skinless fava beans
• 1 small onion, about 80g
• 6 spring onions
• 5 garlic cloves
• 40g flat-leaf parsley, leaves and thin stalks
• 40g fresh coriander, leaves and thin stalks
• 20g fresh dill
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1.5 tsp fine salt
• 0.5 tsp ground black pepper
• 0.25 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 4 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 litre sunflower oil, for deep frying
• 4 rounds baladi or pitta bread, to serve
• 6 tbsp tahini sauce, 2 sliced tomatoes and a handful of rocket, to serve

Before you cook

• Cover the split fava beans with cold water by at least 5cm and soak for 12 hours or overnight, changing the water once if you can
• Drain the beans through a colander and leave them to sit for 10 minutes
• Peel and roughly chop the onion
• Trim and roughly chop the spring onions
• Peel the garlic cloves
• Wash and shake dry the parsley, coriander and dill

Steps

1. Spread the drained fava beans over a clean tea towel and pat them properly dry.
2. Tip the dry beans into a food processor with the onion, spring onions and garlic.
3. Add the parsley, coriander and dill on top.
4. Pulse the machine in short bursts until the mixture looks like coarse damp sand, stopping well before it becomes a smooth paste.
5. Scrape the mixture into a large bowl.
6. Stir in the ground coriander, ground cumin, salt, black pepper and cayenne.
7. Cover the bowl and chill it in the fridge for 30 minutes so the mixture firms up.
8. Pour the sunflower oil into a deep heavy pan to a depth of 4cm and heat it to 170C.
9. Scatter the baking powder over the chilled mixture and work it through quickly with your hands.
10. Scoop a heaped tablespoon of mixture and press it into a flat disc about 6cm across and 1cm thick.
11. Press one face of the disc firmly into the sesame seeds.
12. Shape and coat the rest of the mixture the same way, setting the discs on a tray.
13. Lower four discs into the oil sesame side down and fry them for 3 minutes until deep brown.
14. Turn each disc over and fry for a further 2 minutes.
15. Lift the ta'ameya onto kitchen paper and season with a small pinch of salt.
16. Bring the oil back up to 170C, then fry the remaining discs in the same way.
17. Split the bread, fill it with hot ta'ameya, tahini sauce, tomato and rocket, and serve straight away.