Blend fava beans with cilantro, parsley, mint, and dill for a creamy, vibrant green dip, then top it with crispy fried shallots.
For the Shallot-Infused Oil and Fried Shallots:
1 cup (237ml) neutral frying oil, such as canola
10 medium shallots (14 ounces; 397g), thinly sliced
Kosher salt
For the Bissara:
2 cups dried split fava beans (12.7 ounces; 360g), rinsed
2 cups packed fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems (2 ounces; 57g), divided
1 cup packed flat-leaf parsley leaves (1 ounce; 30g)
1 medium yellow onion (8 ounces; 227g), peeled, root end trimmed, and quartered lengthwise
1/4 cup (10g) packed fresh dill
3 medium cloves garlic (12g), peeled
1 green chile pepper (15g), such as serrano, stemmed, seeded, and chopped (about 1 tablespoon), or 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
5 fresh mint leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon dry mint
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume
4 cups (946ml) vegetable broth
2 tablespoons (30ml) shallot-infused oil (recipe above)
To Serve:
1 tablespoon (15ml) shallot-infused oil
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Fried shallots
Store-bought pita chips
For the Shallot-Infused Oil and Fried Shallots: In an 8-inch skillet, combine oil and shallots over medium-low heat, and cook, stirring often, until shallots are golden brown and crisp, about 20 minutes.
Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a heatproof bowl. Transfer shallots to a paper-towel lined plate to drain and season with salt. Set shallot-infused oil aside to cool.
Store the fried shallots in an airtight container until you are ready to garnish the bissara. Store the shallot-infused oil in a clean jar.
For the Bissara: Add the rinsed split fava beans to a large bowl; cover with cold water by at least 2 inches. Cover and set aside to soak overnight (at least 12 hours or up to 24 hours) at room temperature. The second day, transfer the beans to a colander and rinse well under cold water; drain.
In a 7-quart Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, combine the fava beans, 1 cup cilantro, parsley, quartered onion, dill, whole garlic cloves, green chili pepper, mint, cumin, coriander, dry mint, paprika, pepper, and salt. Stir in broth and shallot-infused oil (the beans will not be fully submerged in liquid; that’s okay). Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and let the beans simmer gently, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour. (Your beans may finish cooking in less than an hour; continue simmering to reduce the liquid until to a thick porridge-like consistency.) The beans should be soft and easy to crush with a fork. Make sure to stir every now and then so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan and burn. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely to room temperature, 60 to 90 minutes (mixture will thicken as it cools).
Transfer cooled mixture to a food processor, add the remaining 1 cup fresh cilantro and process until you reach a creamy consistency similar to hummus, about 1 minute, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed. In case the dip is anything less than vibrant green, just add some more fresh parsley or cilantro herbs to punch up the color. Taste the bissara and adjust the seasoning.
Transfer the bissara back to the pot to reheat gently over low heat until just warm or serve at room temperature.
To Serve: Transfer the bissara to a serving bowl and drizzle with shallot-infused oil, garnish with a flutter of paprika, and top with the fried shallots. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature with pita chips and/or vegetable sticks.
