Qudsiya recipe

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

When we think of Middle Eastern breakfast, one of the first two things that come to mind are ful and hummus, but did you know that there is a dish that takes these two amazing foods and combines them into one? It's called Qudsiya. Qudsiya isn't as well-known as other Middle Eastern dishes and it is mainly made in Palestine, and is extremely popular in Jerusalem, hence its name which means "from Jerusalem".

Ful and hummus are already perfect the way they are, each on their own, but combining the two and adding the addictive spicy and tangy dressing that Qudsiya is garnished with takes them to another level. Traditionally, Qudsiya is made with more ful than hummus, but because I love hummus, I go heavier on the hummus, but the ratios are up to personal preference. The same goes for the spice and tanginess level, I like mine quite spicy and lemony, because it cuts through the creamy beans, but you can definitely tweak this to your liking.

While you can use dried beans and soak them overnight, canned beans are just as good, and it means that you can make this dish last minute and it comes together super quickly. I like my Qudsiya to be on the chunky side, so I only use a pestle to mash some of the fava beans, while the rest are left whole or lightly crushed. If you would like yours to be smooth, you can use the pestle or an immersion blender to get your desired consistency.

Once you've added all of your ingredients, I find that you need to give it a taste and tweak everything to your liking, since sometimes the chillies aren't hot enough, or the lemons aren't juicy enough. When you're ready to serve, top with chopped tomatoes and chilli, a generous splash of olive oil, and of course the dressing and scoop up this hearty and delicious dish with some warm pita and savour this heavenly combination.

Ingredients

400 g chickpeas blended with the liquid from the can and 2-3 tbsp tahini paste

800 g canned fava beans

1 tbsp cumin

Salt to taste

Chopped tomatoes (garnish)

Chopped parsley (garnish)

Olive oil to drizzle

Dressing

Chillies to taste

4-5 garlic cloves

Salt

½ cup lemon juice

Instructions

• In a pot, heat the fava beans in the can liquid. Bring to a boil and lower the heat.

• With a pestle, mash the fava beans to your desired consistency. I like mine chunky, but you can make it as smooth or as chunky as you like.

• To make the dressing, mash the garlic and chillies with a dash of salt in a mortar and pestle until you have a smooth paste. Stir in the lemon juice and set aside.

• Add the chickpea mixture to the pot and stir.

• Add 2-3 tbsp of the dressing to the pot and mix, followed by some salt and cumin and mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. You can add more tahini paste or dressing if needed.

• Allow to simmer for a minute or two and then pour into a serving dish.

• Garnish with the chopped tomatoes and parsley and pour a generous amount of olive oil on top as well as the amount of dressing desired. Serve with pita bread and enjoy!

Source: Middle East Monitor under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0