Egyptian Brown Bean Salad Recipes

FUL MEDAMES

Steps:

• As the cooking time varies depending on the quality and age of the beans, it is good to cook them in advance and to reheat them when you are ready to serve. Cook the drained beans in a fresh portion of unsalted water in a large saucepan with the lid on until tender, adding water to keep them covered, and salt when the beans have softened. They take 2-2 1/2 hours of gentle simmering. When the beans are soft, let the liquid reduce. It is usual to take out a ladle or two of the beans and to mash them with some of the cooking liquid, then stir this back into the beans. This is to thicken the sauce.
• Serve the beans in soup bowls sprinkled with chopped parsley and accompanied by Arab bread.
• Pass round the dressing ingredients for everyone to help themselves: a bottle of extra-virgin olive oil, the quartered lemons, salt and pepper, a little saucer with the crushed garlic, one with chili-pepper flakes, and one with ground cumin.
• The beans are eaten gently crushed with the fork, so that they absorb the dressing.
• Optional Garnishes
• Peel hard-boiled eggs-1 per person-to cut up in the bowl with the beans.
• Top the beans with a chopped cucumber-and-tomato salad and thinly sliced mild onions or scallions. Otherwise, pass round a good bunch of scallions and quartered tomatoes and cucumbers cut into sticks.
• Serve with tahina cream sauce (page 65) or salad (page 67), with pickles and sliced onions soaked in vinegar for 30 minutes.
• Another way of serving ful medames is smothered in a garlicky tomato sauce (see page 464).
• In Syria and Lebanon, they eat ful medames with yogurt or feta cheese, olives, and small cucumbers.
• Variations
• A traditional way of thickening the sauce is to throw a handful of red lentils (1/4 cup) into the water at the start of the cooking.
• In Iraq, large brown beans are used instead of the small Egyptian ones, in a dish called badkila, which is also sold for breakfast in the street.

MEXICAN BEAN AND RICE SALAD

Steps:

• In a large salad bowl, combine the brown rice, kidney beans, black beans, corn, onion, green pepper, jalapeno peppers, lime zest and juice, cilantro, garlic, and cumin. Lightly toss all ingredients to mix well, and sprinkle with salt to taste.
• Refrigerate salad for 1 hour, toss again, and serve.

EGYPTIAN BROWN BEAN SALAD

Steps:

• If using dried/soaked beans, place in a saucepan, cover with water and boil 10 minutes, then proceed. If using canned kidney beans, place in a saucepan, cover with water, and add thyme, bay, and onion. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer 10-15 minutes for canned, one hour for dried.
• Drain and discard the herbs and onion. Chill beans while you mix together remaining ingredients ("dressing"), except the egg and pickle.
• Stir "dressing", and pour over beans and toss lightly to coat.
• Gently fold in eggs and pickle, then serve.
• *We chilled this salad an hour more, then served.

EGYPTIAN SALAD

Steps:

• Cut all the peppers in half length wise and de-seed them.
• Cut all the peppers, length-wise, into 1/2 inch slices.
• In a large covered pot, saute onions in oil until translucent, then add the peppers and cook for 5 minutes.
• Add tomato juice, cover and cook on med heat for 5-10 minutes.
• Add tomatoes, salt and pepper; cover and cook another 15 minutes.
• Add vinegar, cover and cook another 10-15 minutes.
• serve hot, cold or at room tempreture.
• Excellent side dish with almost anything.

KELLY'S BLACK BEAN SALAD

Steps:

• Bring rice and water to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Mix tomatoes, vinegar, garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt, oregano, and black pepper together in a bowl. Whisk oil into tomato mixture to make a dressing.
• Stir rice, black beans, and corn together in a bowl; toss with dressing until well-coated.

BROWN RICE AND BLACK BEAN SALAD

Steps:

• Bring the brown rice, water, olive oil, and 1//2 teaspoon salt to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed, 45 to 50 minutes. Scrape into a mixing bowl, fluff with a fork, and refrigerate to room temperature.
• Stir the collard greens, black beans, green peas, corn, green chiles, olives, and tomatoes into the cooled rice until evenly mixed. Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.